On Thursday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inspected the proposed Greenfield Airport site. He reviewed progress at the designated location for the proposed airport between Shambhupura and Jakhmund villages in Kota-Bundi.
Gehlot stated that the state government is committed to the development of the Greenfield Airport. He said, “The Kota Urban Development Authority has transferred 34 hectares of land to the Airport Authority from Kota at no cost, as per the Cabinet’s decision. In addition, the first instalment of the diversion amount, Rs 21 crore 13 lakh, has been provided to the Forest Department. Despite this, the Central government has not initiated construction work.”
The Chief Minister stated that they have fulfilled the promises made in airport development, and now it is the responsibility of the Central government and local Member of Parliament and Lok Sabha President Om Birla to make efforts. He added, “As a local MP, it is their duty to push the project forward.”
Gehlot said that if the Central government refuses development, the state government will complete it with its own resources. He emphasized that the state government has resolved to develop the Kota Airport in the same way that it has advanced the Kishangarh Airport and that the airport is essential for promoting tourism in Kota.
The Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot stated that Kota is undergoing a transformation. Developments such as the Oxygen City Park, new underpasses, overpasses, and widening of roads have accelerated tourism in Kota. Kota District Collector Omprakash Bunekar informed him through a map.
Citing the example of Kishangarh Airport in Rajasthan, the Chief Minister said that they started its construction work nearly 20 years ago and now it is ready.
“We started the construction work of Kishangarh Airport 20 years ago and the airport is ready, flights are landing. There has been much development in Kota but the tourists are not able to come because they are not getting proper transportation facilities,” he said. The Chief Minister said that whether the tourist is from Mumbai, Delhi or London, only if an airport is built in Kota will tourism flourish here. “Om Birla is the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and MP from Kota. He should intervene in this matter. The Central government can easily provide Rs 50-100 crore for the construction of the airport if the Speaker asks them to do so. It is not a huge amount for the Centre,” CM Gehlot said.
Also present at this event were Independent Minister Shanti Dhariwal, Former Education State Minister Govind Singh Dotasra, MLA Bharat Singh Kundanpur, Rafiq Khan, Bundi Collector Ravindra Goswami, and other officials.