Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, claimed on Thursday that the BJP-led national government is putting obstacles in the way of the development of an airport in Kota. On Thursday, CM Gehlot and Minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal of the Urban Development and Housing Department visited the site where Kota Airport is planned to be built.
CM Gehlot said, “The Central Government is creating obstacles in the construction of Kota Airport. Kota MP and Speaker Om Birla should intervene in this matter and proceed with its construction in a timely manner.”
“However, if Om Birla cannot help in this, then we will take up this work and move forward,” he added.
The Chief Minister used the Kishangarh Airport in Rajasthan as an example, stating that construction on it began nearly 20 years ago and that it is now complete. “We began building the Kishangarh Airport twenty years ago, and now flights are landing there. Although Kota has undergone significant development, tourists are unable to visit because of inadequate transportation options, he claimed. The Chief Minister asserted that Kota’s tourism industry will only flourish if an airport is built there, regardless of whether the visitor is from Mumbai, Delhi, or London.
“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.