Pune: District Collector Jitendra Dudi on Tuesday announced that the land acquisition process for the proposed Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje International Airport in Purandar will begin on Thursday.The state govt has finalised a base compensation rate of Rs 1.61 crore per acre; close to 6,500 landowners in possession of nearly 1,217 hectares will benefit, Dudi said. A nine-member team of officials has been assigned to each of the seven villages identified for land acquisition.Residents willing to part with their land have been told to submit necessary documents. The process to collect documents will continue till June 10. “In addition to monetary compensation, they will be offered 10% of the developed land in the vicinity and employment opportunities,” said Dudi.While the compensation formula, cleared by a high-powered committee chaired by the additional chief secretary (industries) on April 24, pegs the compensation per acre at Rs 1.61 crore, effective compensation could average around Rs 2 crore once houses, trees and other assets on the land are valued, Dudi said. Landowners will receive double the assessed value of attached assets such as houses, sheds, wells, borewells, pipelines and trees, based on joint measurement and valuation by respective departments. Valuation of houses ranges from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. The state govt, through MIDC, will raise a Rs 6,000 crore loan from HUDCO. In the first phase, the district administration aims to acquire at least 50% of the required land so that work can begin by Oct or Nov, with a project completion deadline of three years. Under MIDC’s Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2019, landowners opting for consent agreements are eligible for 10% of the developed land in return (minus 10% of the total compensation). For the moment, MIDC has paid consenting landowners Rs 500 crore to start the acquisition process. The compensation will be exempt from income tax and other govt levies, Dudi said.The state will be in possession of the land free of encumbrances — landowners must submit consent agreements and affidavits, as well as ID proof, PAN, bank details and no-dues certificates — within the stipulated period. Claims, objections or third-party interests must be reported within seven days, officials added.After June 10, those who do not consent may be subject to compulsory acquisition under relevant provisions and will forgo certain benefits, including the 10% developed parcel of land, officials added.
