The state government has approved Rs 10 crore for acquiring 64 acre land for extension of Kolhapur airport. Around 700 acre land has been made available to the airport authority for development of the airstrip and other service buildings surrounding the airport.

KEY POINTS

=> Currently, flight service to Mumbai is operational and soon flights for Bengaluru are likely to resume. The facilities for night landing of planes are being developed on the existing area.

=> To make more landings possible, there airstrip needs to be extended.

=> There will be more land acquisition. The airstrip is extended and the facilities of night landing is completed, the service providers will start air service to the big cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad and important tourist states like Goa.

=> The district administration will appoint a land survey and land acquisition officer. The primary survey was completed last year and several obstructions had been observed. For instance, Kolhapur-Hupari road forms part of the planned extension. District collector Daulat Desai has suggested to take the road underground.

=> The land acquisition officer will have to ensure that the locals residing there are rehabilited, other constructions are removed and ensure all those who will loose their farm lands are compensated as per the most recent directions of the central government.

=> Rs 275 crore has been spent on the development of the airport through central and state governments.