1 day ago
Bombay High Court Clears Path for Pune Greenfield Airport
The Maharashtra government wants to build a new airport near Pune.
Some farmers objected because their farmland would be acquired.
They also said the chosen location might not be safe or practical for flights.
Government officials said experts had already studied the possible locations.
The Bombay High Court said choosing an airport site is mainly a government and expert decision.
The judges said landowners cannot choose another site only to protect their own land.
The court found no proven legal or environmental violation requiring intervention.
It therefore allowed the airport planning and land acquisition process to continue.
The Bombay High Court dismissed farmers’ challenge to the proposed Greenfield Airport in Pune.
The court ruled that airport siting is a policy decision for the state and technical experts.
Farmers argued that the selected Site IA was unsafe, technically limited and dependent on irrigated farmland.
Authorities said reopening site selection would create financial and administrative difficulties and harm public interest.
The court found that land acquisition had followed the law and was already at an advanced stage.
- Who
- Farmers, the Maharashtra government, the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited, and other authorities were involved; the Bombay High Court decided the case.
- What
- The Bombay High Court dismissed a plea challenging the proposed Greenfield Airport and related land acquisition.
- Where
- The proposed Site IA covers areas including Munjewadi, Pargaon and Memane in Purandar taluka, Pune district, Maharashtra.
- When
- The court’s order was issued on September 22; the airport proposal has been pending with the Maharashtra government since 2005.
- Why
- The court held that airport location and land requirements are policy and technical matters for the state and specialized authorities, absent proof of illegality, bad faith or environmental non-compliance.
Farmers’ objections
Government and authorities’ position
Suitability of Site IA
Farmers’ objections
The farmers argued that Site IA had technical and operational limitations, including height restrictions and possible effects on flight operations. They said alternative locations were more viable and had lower development and resettlement costs.
Government and authorities’ position
The government and the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited said comparative site suitability had been examined by competent experts and that the farmers were attempting to reopen technical and administrative decisions.
Land acquisition
Farmers’ objections
The farmers said the acquisition involved primarily irrigated, multi-crop agricultural land on which they and other affected farmers depended for their livelihoods.
Government and authorities’ position
The authorities argued that the land was required for a major public project, that acquisition had substantially progressed, and that reopening it would cause serious financial and administrative difficulties.
Role of the court
Farmers’ objections
The farmers asked the court to examine the legality and rationality of selecting Site IA and to stop the acquisition process.
Government and authorities’ position
The court held that it should not substitute its assessment for that of technical and administrative authorities unless there was convincing evidence of bad faith, misuse of power, illegality or environmental non-compliance.
Key facts
- Court
- Bombay High Court
- Project
- Proposed Greenfield International Airport in Pune
- Selected site
- Site IA at Munjewadi, Pargaon and Memane
- Locations examined
- Six locations were examined by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited in 2016.
- Farmers’ objections
- They challenged the site’s technical feasibility, flight safety, land requirement and acquisition of irrigated, multi-crop farmland.
- Court’s conclusion
- The site decision fell within the state’s policy and expert domain, and the acquisition process was legally undertaken and substantially advanced.
Quotes
Bombay High Court bench of Justices Suman Shyam and Advait M Sethna
The judges who heard and dismissed the farmers’ challenge to the Pune airport site.
“Siting of the airport is purely a matter of policy decision. The state, as the expropriating authority, is in the best position to decide the suitability of the land and the extent to which the same is required for the public project. The landowners cannot dictate to the state as to which location would be more suitable for the project merely because they are trying to protect their land.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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