E-Paper
Scindia says Gehlot misleading people over Kota airport construction
Jyotiraditya Scindia rejected Ashok Gehlot’s accusation that the Centre was creating hurdles in the construction of Kota airport and said that it was the state government which was delaying the process
Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday rejected Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s accusation that the Centre was creating hurdles in the construction of an airport in Kota and said that it was the state government which was delaying the process. He also accused Gehlot of misleading the people.
“It is unfortunate that the Rajasthan Chief Minister Shri Gehlot has made such a misleading statement without having taken the facts of the matter into account...The back-and-forth, staggered response and tardy pace of handing over of the land by the State govt. have delayed the process of development of the Kota airport...It shows that CM Shri Gehlot is least interested in the development of Kota Greenfield Airport or civil aviation in the state,” Scindia said.
On Thursday, Gehlot in Kota said, “The central government is creating obstacles in the construction of Kota airport. Kota MP and (Lok Sabha) Speaker Om Birla should intervene in this matter and proceed with its construction in a timely manner. If Om Birla cannot help in this, then we will take up this work and move forward.”
In a detailed response posted on X, Scindia listed the work done by the Centre and what was not done by the state government in the construction of the Kota airport.
“Till date, the state government has only allotted 33.4 hectare of land in favour of AAI (Airport Authorioty of India), out of total 440 hectare proposed. The process of diversion of remaining land is yet to be carried out by the state in spite of several reminders by MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) and AAI,” he said.
“It (the state government) is yet to deposit amounts related to diversion within its own departments,” he added.
He further said that the shifting of power grid lines is still pending despite apprising the state about its importance for obtaining necessary clearance from relevant regulatory authorities.
Scindia said that in spite of this, the ministry has completed the topographical survey of the site and soil investigation work, and work regarding environmental clearance has been awarded. The process for onboarding an agency for conducting architectural and engineering consultancy has also been initiated, he added.
