VIDARBHA'S 1ST GREENFIELD AIRPORT TO CATER TO SMALLER PLANES
The proposed Greenfield
airport, spread across 339.94 hectares (ha), is located at villages Vihirgaon and Murti in Rajura tehsil of Chandrapur. To be developed in two phases (phase I includes 291.37 ha and phase II 48.57 ha), airport infrastructure would include an air strip, terminal building, apron, air traffic controller
Realigning the airport boundary
Reducing the runway and safety area towards the northern end of the airport site
Construction of a permanent boundary wall
Removal of trees within 100m tower, taxi runway end safety area, and very high frequency Doppler radar. Airport would cater to Q-400 and smaller planes in the first phase and later move to A-320 planes in the second phase. The project would lead to the destruction of 3,817 trees and diversion of 75 ha forest land (47 ha reserved forest and 28 ha protected forest) and 216 ha non-forest land. of the boundary
Minimising occurrence of food resource for wild animals in the boundary of the airport
Boundary and approach lighting to be taken up
Regulate development around the project site
Home to tigers, leopards, sloth
bears among schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the corridor starts from south of Tadoba-andhari Tiger Reserve buffer and covers multiple forest areas including the Rajura reserved forest. While it is located next to the proposed Kanhargaon wildlife sanctuary, it is within 15 km of reserved forest areas across
To undertake restoration of 17 forest patches with mixed plantation to ensure connectivity of the corridor. A map has been provided for this
Forest patches include private forests that need to be acquired.
Arejohari, Tohogaon, Chincholi, Siddheshwar, Kothari, Haranpaili, and Palsori. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, which studied the wildlife impact of the project, said the airport would hamper the connectivity of the corridor and result in increased human-wildlife conflict.
Source: Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation
Source: WII'S report for the project
Source: WII, Documents submitted for forest clearance