Saturday November 14, 02:05 AM

Source: Indian Express Finance

Sanction Jewar airport soon to fuel UP growth: Maya to Centre

By Deepa Jainani
Riding high on the successful expansion of the Metro Rail project connecting New Delhi to Noida, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has once again raised the issue of the Taj Airport and Aviation Hub at Jevar. The minister requested the Centre to sanction the Jewar Airport soon so that the Noida-Greater Noida area can be further developed as the growth engine of the state. Stating that the area of Noida and Greater Noida, powered by the Yamuna Expressway, alongwith its development parcels on both sides, would become a unique development model, Mayawati said that once the Jevar airport is sanctioned, the area will see a rapid growth in investments that, in turn, would trigger employment opportunities. Due to the Metro Rail, Noida would become an ultra-modern city. My government is making all possible efforts to expand the Metro Rail facility further in this area, Mayawati said, adding she wished besides Noida and Greater Noida the proposed airport in Jewar should also be linked with the Metro Rail. It may be mentioned that the TIAH project had been given a techno-feasibility approval way back in 2003. However, with the Delhi airport being handed over to private hands, the GMR group-backed Delhi International Airport (DIAL) floated the argument that the new airport would take away a majority of its air traffic. However, despite the Uttar Pradesh government s assertions that it would accept and abide by all the contractual agreements that have been entered in to by the Centre, the attorney general of India has told the Centre that setting up a greenfield airport in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi would clearly violate the agreement signed between the GMR group-led consortium upgrading the Capital s Indira Gandhi International Airport and the ministry of civil aviation. This effectively put the proposed Rs 5,000-crore Taj International Aviation Hub at Jewar in Greater Noida in cold storage. But with Mayawati raking up the issue once again, a fresh round of attempt to revive the project seems likely. Pushing the case for the airport, the chief minister said due to its proximity to the national capital Noida attracts a lot of attention and investments. With these facilities, the area would become a special attraction for entrepreneurs, she said. It may be mentioned that the state government has already issued directives to complete the 165-km Yamuna Expressway linking from Greater Noida to Agra at the earliest. Efforts are being made to complete at least a stretch of the highway before the Commonwealth Games in 2010. The area is likely to see further development as it falls in the proposed industrial corridor from Dadri to Mumbai port. High-level infrastructure facilities are expected to be developed in the areas of both sides of this corridor, which would speed up the process of industrialisation.