No Additional Land Needed for Surat Airport Expansion, Confirms Union Minister Mohol.

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, stated that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) currently does not require any additional land for the expansion of Surat International Airport. This response came during the first day of Parliament's Monsoon Session on Monday, addressing a question raised by Congress's Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, Shaktisinh Gohil.

Gohil had sought detailed information regarding land required and reserved for the Surat airport expansion, as well as specifics on the reservation of land and its potential removal. He also inquired whether the government intended to return unreserved land to farmers.

In his reply, Mohol addressed only the current land requirement, deferring questions concerning land reservation and its cancellation to the responsibility of the state government.

Following the minister's statement, Gohil issued a strong statement, alleging that the cancellation of land reservation was a conspiracy designed to benefit builders.

"After notification of land acquisition for the Surat airport expansion, many farmers were put in fear by the builder lobby that they would get low prices for their land from the government," Gohil claimed. "After this, some farmers sold or agreed to sell their land to builders. Now, as AAI does not need the land, such land should be given back to farmers as a conspiracy was hatched by officials and builders to buy land for cheap under the shadow of land acquisition. A special law must be enacted to cancel all deals for land kept under reservation between the acquisition notification and acquisition cancellation."

Gohil's accusations highlight a contentious issue surrounding land acquisition and its potential impact on local farmers, calling for greater transparency and protective measures.