Out of the proposed 627.89 acres identified for this purpose, 527 acres have been acquired so far.
Out of the proposed 627.89 acres identified for this purpose, 527 acres have been acquired so far.
The revenue department has acquired 83.93 per cent of the land earmarked for the expansion of the Coimbatore International Airport, which includes lease, defense and Porambok land.
Sources said that out of 627.89 acres proposed for the expansion of the airport, 527 acres have been acquired so far. Acquisition of the remaining 140 acres of leased land was pending due to various reasons, including cases pending before the courts. Some lands fell into dispute as many people claimed rights to the same land.
The total area of 627.89 acres identified for the expansion of the airport is spread over 23 blocks in four villages, namely Singanallur, Uppilipalayam, Kalapatti and Irugur, and one block belongs to defence.
Out of the total land, 462 acres is lease land and 134.2 acres is defense land. The remaining 31.69 acres were classified as non-cultivable/Porambok land.
The revenue department faced trouble in acquiring 462 acres of leased land and 70% of the area has been acquired. Officials involved in the acquisition process said a total of ₹700 crore has been paid as compensation to the land owners in the last eight months.
The compensation fixed by the government was ₹ 1,500 per sq ft for residential areas and ₹ 900 per sq ft for agricultural plots. Some land owners moved the court demanding more compensation.
After the complete acquisition of the land, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will undertake the expansion work which includes increasing the runway length from the present 9,500 feet to 12,500 feet.
Officials said AAI will also build a new terminal exclusively for domestic flights in the space between the cargo section and the existing terminal.