India, June 26 -- Turbulence in Purandar over Pune's airport dream

In early May, what began as a drone survey for Pune's long-delayed Purandar International Airport ended in chaos. At Kumbharvalan, one of the seven villages impacted by the project, angry farmers clashed with police. By the end of the day, more than two dozen officers were injured - and the fault lines between development and displacement were laid bare.

The Maharashtra Airport Development Company has identified 2,873 hectares in seven villages in Purandar tehsil for the Purandar airport project.

"This is our ancestral land. We grow figs, custard apples, rice - and we are not prepared to lose it for a project that does not involve us," said Umesh Khaladkar of Pargaon, w...