MUMBAI, Aug. 9 -- Six months after the fatal air crash of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, the Maharashtra government is on the verge of finalising a Rs.100-crore overhaul of the neglected Baramati airport, managed by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC). The upgrade plan includes constructing an ATC tower, fire station and security fencing. Proposed enhancements for the 1,600-metre airstrip include runway re-carpeting, PAPI lights, and runway-end safety areas, addressing a long-overdue safety requirement. People in the know of the matter said the proposal was cleared two weeks ago by MADC and subsequently additional chief secretary (aviation) Sanjay Sethi last Wednesday. The final clearance is awaited from a high-power committee headed by the state chief secretary, Rajesh Aggarwal. The airport in Baramati -- the pocket borough of the Pawars -- was built in the '90s by then chief minister Sharad Pawar to boost investment in the area. Over a period of time, Pawar, who now heads the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), transformed the area into an industrial and educational hub. P3...