Pune: When Ramdas Memane from Pargaon received compensation after his land was acquired for the proposed Purandar airport, he didn’t buy a luxury SUV or splurge on lifestyle purchases. He bought nearly 16 acres of farmland along the Saswad-Purandar road, registered part of it in his wife Sunita’s name, and set aside the rest to generate long-term wealth to secure his family’s future.Memane said, “Land price was much lower when we invested. Most families have chosen to buy land because we all know this compensation would not come again.” Farmers are now increasingly following his path, and Memane’s story is becoming the norm across the seven villages where land acquisition has taken place.Not only farmlands; many of these farmers are taking several financial avenues, such as investing in shops, residential plots, LIC policies, fixed deposits (FDs), and children’s education. The revenue officials are crediting the shift to financial counselling by the district administration and banks.With around 85% of people having given their consent for land acquisition, officials said the compensation has become an opportunity for families to create long-term assets rather than spend on short-lived luxuries.A farmer from Vanpuri, Vilas Kumbharkar, said his family invested in farmland, shops, and residential plots while parking a part of the money in FDs. “We wanted assets that would generate income for future generations,” he said.A son of another beneficiary, on the condition of anonymity, said his parents had earmarked a substantial portion of the compensation for his engineering education. “They believed investing in education would benefit the family more than spending on luxury,” he said.Amol Kamthe, whose family’s land at Kumbharvalan was acquired, said they purchased farmland at Malshiras and Jejuri and plan further investments. His wife, Trupti Kamthe, said part of the compensation had been invested in long-term LIC policies. “This money has to secure the family’s future,” she said.Officials said the approach was now becoming the norm, with more and more farmers who got the compensation deciding against spending lavishly and investing in building assets.The proposed Purandar airport requires 1,285 hectares, including 1,216.75 hectares of private land. The airport is spread across Khanwadi, Kumbharvalan, Ekhatpur, Pargaon Memane, Vanpuri, Munjawadi, and Udachiwadi in Purandar taluka.Officials said that acquisition of 1,033.6 hectares of private land was already completed after consent from approximately 85% of landowners. The remaining acquisition was under way, they said.The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has sanctioned around Rs 2,100 crore for compensation, a substantial portion of which has already been disbursed.Officials said only a handful of land parcels remain tied up in litigation or procedural issues. Revenue officials said they deliberately organised meetings with banks, LIC representatives, and financial institutions before compensation was disbursed to help landowners understand investment options.“The message was simple: treat the compensation as capital and not cash. The response [from landowners] has been encouraging, and many farmers who are yet to receive compensation have already decided they will invest in land, businesses, financial instruments, and their children’s education instead of splurging the money,” a senior revenue official added.The Pune collector had held a special camp last month to resolve disputes, and around 30 cases were cleared, officials added.
