Farmers in village Birsi of this east Vidarbha district are restive as full grown trees on their farms are being cut ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's scheduled visit Feb 9.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is slated to lay the foundation stone of the National Flight Training Institute (NFTI) in Birsi on the outskirts of Gondia, the hometown of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.

The Birsi villagers have joined hand with farmers in adjoining villages to protest the tree-felling and land-acquisitions for the pilot training academy.

Though the formal foundation stone for the flight training is being laid next month, an old airstrip and a makeshift Air Traffic Control tower are already functional. These facilities at Birsi are at present being used for the on-going training programme of the Rae Bareilly-based Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy, which has been shifted here.

'At least 1,500 trees of mango and mahua were cut from about a dozen farms last week and many more have been ticked for felling in the days ahead,' Shyam Lal Thakre, a villager-turned-activist, told IANS.

'There was no advance notice, not a word on compensation,' he added.

'When the farmers objected to the move, the Airport Authority of India personnel accompanying the contractor told them they were empowered by law even to acquire their property and they were not bound to pay them compensation,' Thakre said.

'A senior lawyer whose land has been marked for acquisition has already moved the court against it and others are in a mood to follow suit,' said Thakre.

AAI officer Jagtar Singh, the Birsi project manager, told IANS that the farmers were notified about the move and will be paid compensation.

'We did it in concert with the district administration and forest authorities and most of the trees were only cropped to remove the branches that would obstruct the landing of the plane,' said Jagtar Singh.

'Though the Birsi airstrip is already operative, trees had to be pruned as the PM's plane would be bigger than the training craft,' he clarified.

Gondia's District Collector Vishnu Bute described the talk of felling 1,500 full-grown trees as 'highly exaggerated'.

'The trees - not more than 250 - were cropped and not felled, and the wood was given to the farmers though they are also going to be paid fair compensation', Bute said.

'The compensation as per the district's ready-reckoner or the prevailing market rate at the time of land acquisition (if it is higher) will be paid to the farmers,' he added.

'Though some farmers are losing their land, the pilot training academy will create some direct employment and varied means of livelihood.

'A minor aircraft servicing centre and a training centre for the industrial security force under consideration in Birsi will multiply job opportunities for local people' he pointed out.

A source close to the civil aviation minister told IANS that Patel is planning a regular airport at Birsi. The ministry is also persuading Indian Air Force to use it for its operations.

'A training centre for the State Reserve Police Force personnel is also under contemplation here,' the source added, expressing dismay over the opposition to the developmental activities.