Pune, 11 February 2026: The Maharashtra state cabinet has approved raising a ₹6,000 crore loan for land acquisition required for the proposed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj International Airport at Purandar near Pune. The decision was taken in the cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, aimed at accelerating the long-pending land acquisition process.
To facilitate this, the government has cleared the formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) involving the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), and City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).
The SPV will raise the loan, and repayment responsibility will be shared among the participating agencies in proportion to their stake.
Officials said the entire procedural groundwork for the Purandar airport has been completed, and only land acquisition remains pending. “Once the funds are deposited with the district administration, compensation will be disbursed to farmers at the earliest,” Pune Collector Jitendra Dudi said, adding that the loan is expected to be taken from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO).
The cabinet also approved fixing land compensation rates under Section 32(1) of the MIDC Act. MIDC will issue a formal circular to finalise rates, after which the district administration will distribute compensation to landowners.
In a significant relief to farmers, the state government has also approved the withdrawal of cases registered against those who protested the land acquisition. After notifications were issued, farmers had launched protests alleging inadequate response from the administration, leading to police action.
Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule had earlier assured that these cases would be withdrawn, and officials confirmed that the process has now begun as per legal procedure. The government believes these decisions will help restore trust among farmers and move the Purandar airport project forward without further delay.