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Ambala airport to improve connectivity, promote industries, says Haryana CM
The civil enclave in Ambala, as it is called, was sanctioned under the UDAN scheme of the Union government
The domestic airport in Ambala will improve connectivity, promote industries and spur economic activity in the region, said chief minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar while laying the foundation stone of the project in Ambala Cantonment on Sunday.
Khattar performed the “bhoomi pujan” in the presence of deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, home minister Anil Vij, Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma and others.
The civil enclave, as it is called, was sanctioned under the UDAN scheme of the Union government, under which a terminal will be established on 20 acres of defence land worth ₹133 crore just next to the Air Force Station and the IAF airstrip will be used for flight operations.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM said the airport will increase Haryana’s connectivity with other states and also spur economic activity in neighbouring districts, including Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal and others.
Khattar said the airport could also act as a support facility for the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Mohali, nearly 50 kilometres away.
During his address, Chautala said a passenger terminal, which can cater to at least 200 people at a time, will come up within six months and passengers will be taken to the aircraft using a bus.
“The government has applied for permission with the Union ministry of civil aviation to start flights for Srinagar, Varanasi, Jaipur, Amritsar and Delhi,” Chautala, who also holds civil aviation department in the state government, said.
Later, Khattar suggested that there could also be flights to Dehradun, Shimla and Lucknow.
The project touted as the dream project of Vij, the six-time MLA said what was impossible a few years back is now possible.
“A lot of effort was made to ensure that the plan materialises, as it required permission from the Army, Air Force, defence ministry and several other departments,” Vij added.
The minister also lauded Chautala for facilitating all the permissions and Ambala DC Dr Shaleen, who was earlier with the civil aviation department, for joining the dots since his joining here.
Additional chief secretary Dr Raja Shekhar Vundru, divisional commissioner Renu S Phoolia, IG Ambala range Sibas Kaviraj, aviation department advisor Shekhar Vidyarthi, Colonel A Bhatnagar, superintendent of police Jashandeep Singh Randhawa were also present.
Farmers protest non-payment of sugarcane dues, CM assures ₹8 crore
A group of sugarcane farmers from different unions also protested against the CM, demanding pending dues worth ₹42 crore.
A meeting was arranged by the administration with Khattar, where it was reportedly assured that a sum of ₹8 crore would be disbursed by next week and the rest as per the sugarcane purchase next year.
At least 35 farmers and their leaders were also detained to maintain the law-and-order situation. SP Randhawa said they were taken into preventive detention and proceedings were underway to release them.
