Purandar villagers eagerly await ministry’s decision

Pune: Vikas Memane, a resident of Pargaon village in Purandar taluka, wants to know about the status of the proposed airport, especially about the defence ministry's pending nod for the project.

"I don't think the ministry will grant a clearance as it has been sitting on the issue for months now. I just wanted to know what's really happening," Vikas said while speaking on the phone.

Another villager, who is a government employee, said, "We will be able to decide on our next moves only after things become clear. The moves will be in the form of protests and legal assistance as a majority of the residents are against the project. However, we have not been getting enough information on the progress of the project and the defence ministry's stand."

The technical committees of the ministry of defence, Airports Authority of India and the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd met in Delhi on Tuesday. Officials of the MADC later said the defence ministry's decision was expected within a month. The latest information has again created a buzz among villagers even though the project is yet to see any progress on the ground.

Moreover, with the state cabinet saying on Tuesday that the new airport at Navi Mumbai would be ready by 2019, things at Purandar have started to heat up again.

Datta Dhurange, president of the Vimantal Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti, was optimistic and felt that the site for the new airport would see a change. "I have seen the survey report and as per our assessment, the site will shift. We held several protests when the project was announced. Though the issue is on the back burner now, it is still simmering. Once the MoD's decision comes through, we will plan the second stage of our action. In fact, we are planning how to go about it," Dhurange added.

Villagers have been posting from time to time news related to the airport plan on their WhatsApp group — 'Aapli Maati, Aapli Manse'. "We regularly read newspapers to get information. People are now eagerly waiting for the defence ministry's decision. We believe that it will come soon. We plan to hold regular meetings to discuss the airport project," said another landowner.