Gadchiroli Airport Project Secures ₹104Cr Fund For Land Acquisition

Nagpur: The Maharashtra govt on Tuesday granted administrative and financial approval of ₹104.48 crore for land acquisition for the proposed airport in Gadchiroli, a project being pushed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the district's guardian minister.The approval covers acquisition of 311.81 hectares of govt, private and forest land spread across Shirapur Chak, Guruwala, Hirapur and Rakhi villages for development of the greenfield airport project. The proposal, submitted by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), was cleared by the empowered committee headed by the state chief secretary during its meeting on May 8. A formal govt resolution was later issued by the General Administration Department.According to the govt order, ₹76.99 crore has been sanctioned for acquisition of 245.75 hectares of private land, while ₹10.07 crore has been approved for diversion of 34.68 hectares of forest land. The total approved expenditure of ₹87.07 crore also includes compensation-related provisions. The remaining amount accounts for establishment and administrative expenses under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, project implementation charges and an estimated 10% escalation in project costs.Govt has also approved a transfer of 31.38 hectares of land free of cost to MADC. The agency has been formally designated as the land acquisition and implementation authority for the airport project, while the Gadchiroli collector has been empowered as the acquisition officer.The latest order also cancels an earlier govt resolution issued on Dec 13, 2024, relating to land acquisition in Murkhala, Pulkhal and Kaneri villages for the same airport project.The proposed airport is expected to improve regional connectivity in eastern Maharashtra, particularly in Gadchiroli, a district that has long remained geographically isolated despite recent industrial and infrastructure investments. The project also aligns with the state govt's broader push to expand aviation infrastructure into underserved regions.