Surat International Airport Expansion: Land Requirement and Farmers' Issues

Strategic Insights -

The expansion of Surat International Airport is a long-standing project, and recent statements from the Union civil aviation minister of state, Murlidhar Mohol, have shed light on the current land requirement for the project. Amidst the controversy surrounding the cancellation of land reservation for the airport expansion, Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil has raised concerns about the potential benefits to builders at the expense of farmers.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Airports Authority of India (AAI) does not currently require any land for the expansion of Surat International Airport, according to Union civil aviation minister of state Murlidhar Mohol.
  • Congress's Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, Shaktisinh Gohil, had asked the aviation minister for detailed information on the land required and reserved for the Surat airport expansion, as well as the details on the reservation of land and its removal.
  • The state government is responsible for addressing the questions on land reservation and its cancellation, leaving the minister to only answer the current land requirement question.
  • Gohil alleged that the cancellation of land reservation was a conspiracy to benefit builders, leading to some farmers selling their land to builders at low prices in fear of being left with lower compensation from the government.
  • A special law must be enacted to cancel all deals for land kept under reservation between the acquisition notification and acquisition cancellation, according to Gohil's statement.

Statistics:

  • No specific statistics or numbers were mentioned in the article regarding the land required for the expansion of Surat International Airport.
  • According to Gohil, many farmers were put in fear by the builder lobby, leading to some farmers selling or agreeing to sell their land to builders.

Sources:

  • "Reprint Rights: timescontent.com"