City Beat: Realty In Pune To Fly High On New Airport [Video]

Air connectivity to the city is likely to improve, with the Maharashtra state government approving a plan to set up a new airport at Purandar. To be named after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, the upcoming airport will be spread over an area of 2,400 hectares and will be running international and domestic operations.

According to media reports, the proposed airport will have two airstrips, with a length of four kilometres each, and will also handle cargo along with passenger traffic. It has to be noted that the proposed site in the south of Pune is about 20 kilometres away from the city centre, and the location will be connected with six different routes to provide a better connectivity. Not only will the new airport boost air as well as road connectivity in Pune but also give a major push to property markets of the city. Pune already has an airport at Lohgaon that handles both domestic and international flights.

Meanwhile, the Pune Municipal Corporation has extended the deadline of its amnesty schemes for tax defaulters and owners of illegal properties. Under the extended deadline, the municipal body will provide a 75 per cent discount on the penalty amount to those who pay property tax dues by November 15. On the other hand, owners of illegal properties will get a 50 per cent discount if they pay their taxes by December 31.

While the amnesty scheme was launched from September 1, the earlier deadline was September 20. Official data show that the administration has to recover around Rs 2,100 crore from nearly 2.82 lakh defaulters. However, it expects to recover around Rs 1,400 crore through the amnesty schemes. This may be of great help to the municipal body which has been hit by a cash crunch in recent times.