Jaipur: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday replied to the allegations levelled by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot holding the Central government responsible for the delay in work for the Kota greenfield airport.
Scindia said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “The back-and-forth, staggered response and tardy pace of handing over of the land by the state government have delayed the process of development of the #KotaAirport. It shows that CM @ashokgehlot51 Ji is least interested in the development of Kota Greenfield Airport or civil aviation in the state. My detailed response below.”
He then posted his reply which said that the Rajasthan government has only sanctioned 33.4 hectares of land out of a total 440 acres proposed.
The process of diversion of remaining land is yet to be processed despite frequent reminders by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, he said.
“The state government has been apprised of the fact that the shifting of power grid is important for necessary clearances. However, it is still pending from state government’s side,” he said.
Gehlot on Thursday had blamed the Centre for the delay in the construction of the proposed greenfield airport in Kota.
He had also accused Lok Sabha Speaker and local MP Om Birla of not playing a positive role for the airport’s development for fear of the credit going to the state’s Congress government.
Gehlot on Thursday had inspected the site of the proposed Kota greenfield airport in Shambupura village and discussed the progress of the work with the officials. Claiming that the state government is committed to building the airport, Gehlot said the Urban Improvement Trust (Kota) transferred 34 hectares of land to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) for free.
The first instalment of Rs 21.13 crore for the diversion of forest land was also released to the forest department.
Despite these steps, the Centre has not begun work on the project, he alleged.
–IANS