Mungantiwar reopens Rajura airport project stalled by MVA

Nagpur: Maharashtra forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has decided to go ahead with the ‘controversial’ greenfield airport project at Vihirgaon and Murti villages in Rajura taluka, falling in the corridor between Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur and Kawal Tiger Reserve in Telangana.
The project had been stalled by former Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray, though Mungantiwar continued to pursue the project at various forums. The airport is the dream project of the minister, who is also BJP MLA from Ballarshah, near Rajura.
Talking to TOI on Monday, Mungantiwar said, “I’ve asked forest officials to submit the proposal to the Central government for forest clearance. The project needs 75.24 hectare forest land. We will implement the project by taking all mitigation measures suggested by Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.”
Mungantiwar came down heavily on the Thackeray government for keeping Vidarbha and Marathwada regions backward by stalling various projects. The then government delayed the airport by citing one or the other reasons, he said.
“The then government had argued that when Nagpur airport was 150km away, why new airport was needed in Chandrapur district. If Amravati, Gondia, and Akola can have airports, why can’t Chandrapur? The airport will not only help industrial development but will also boost tourism,” the minister said.
Mungantiwar said a meeting was held on August 23 in Mumbai with general administration department, and Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC), and it was decided to send the stalled proposal to the Centre for forest clearance. “As there is no alternative land available, we will implement the project with WII’s condition of mitigation measures,” he added.
However, wildlife experts say the last government was against the plan as the proposed forest area has the presence of tigers, leopards, and other Schedule-I animals. A full-grown tiger RT1 was captured in 2020 after it killed 10 villagers here. Last month, a tiger was run over by a speeding train near Vihirgaon.
They said, “With more than 200 tigers in Chandrapur district alone, the project will further increase man-animal conflict, which has already claimed 43 lives in Chandrapur district alone this year. One of the mitigation steps includes a 4km compound wall, which would mean blocking the functional corridor. Besides, ancillary activities after the airport are in place will be detrimental for wildlife.”
“The location at Vihirgaon-Murti is dicey. Most accidents occur during landing and take-off occur due to deer families. Even leopards and tigers can enter the premises as it is a corridor. Once you construct a compound wall, it will stop free movement of wild animals. It is always dangerous to set up an airport near an area surrounded by forests,” wildlife experts said.