The proposed international airport in Purandar has hit another hurdle after the district administration said they have indefinitely postponed the drone survey and land measurement following the violence on Saturday.
Land acquisition officer Varsha Landge said the decision to halt the drone survey and land measurement was taken by senior district administration officials. "The administration will decide the next move and plan of action, which may involve dialogues with the landowners," she added.
On Saturday, a protest by locals against the proposed airport turned violent during a drone survey of the site, leaving 18 policemen injured.
Six of the protesters were detained after they clashed with the police during the agitation at Kumbharvalan village.
The locals, however, accused the police of lathi-charging them.
The residents of a few villages in the vicinity of the proposed airport in Purandar have been objecting to the project and obstructing officials from surveying the land with drones.
According to officials, some locals on Friday damaged the drones that were being used for the land survey.
Officials said a drone survey of 2,673 hectares of land spread across seven villages — Kumbharvalan, Pargaon, Khanwadi, Ekhatpur, Munjwadi, Udachiwadi, and Vapuri — was being done for the airport project.
"On Saturday, those opposing the survey were agitating at the proposed site, and because of that, no work could take place. When police tried to remove locals' vehicles parked on the road, they started pelting stones. A total of 18 police personnel sustained injuries," said Pankaj Deshmukh, SP, Pune Rural Police.
Meanwhile, locals claimed that an 87-year-old woman from one of the villages died of a heart attack as she was anxious over the airport project. But the SP said her death had nothing to do with the proposed airport.
The woman's son alleged that his mother was under stress, as she feared that their land could be taken for the proposed airport.
Baramati MP and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule called Saturday's protest and clashes extremely unfortunate. "The government should have taken appropriate steps after understanding the sentiments of the citizens. However, the use of force (on protesters) is truly saddening. It is disturbing that locals were injured in this incident. The government should have shown restraint and sensitivity given the public sentiment. We strongly condemn this incident," she said.
Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Saturday's lathicharge would not be accepted. "If the landowners have any issues, steps to address them will be taken. It includes demands for more compensation, jobs for project-affected people, and other problems," he added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that he has told the officers not to get aggressive with the farmers.
