By IANS
Chandigarh : The foundation stone laying ceremony and signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for upgrading the Chandigarh airport into an international airport turned out to be a virtual turf war between Punjab and Haryana, with the latter ‘gate-crashing’ into the event.
The actual MoU was to be signed between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). However, at the eleventh hour, Haryana was also made a part of the MoU signing.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda insisted his state get its due share and got Haryana’s name included in the MoU at the last moment, senior Punjab state officials told IANS.
“Both Punjab and Haryana will have a share in the special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the international airport. I assure you, it will be completed within one year. It will be called Chandigarh International Airport,” Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel announced after the function.
“We leave it on the central government on how to work out the expansion of the airport (with Haryana). We only want the international airport to cater to the region,” Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said meekly after the event organised at the Punjab state guest-house here.
All three sides finally put up brave smiles and said that the airport after all was for the benefit of everyone in the region.
Punjab will acquire land for the AAI for the expansion of the airport near Mohali, a suburb of Chandigarh.
Hooda seemed satisfied with the way events turned around quickly. “We will give our share (of money) for the land that Punjab will buy for the airport,” he said.
Punjab and Haryana share Chandigarh as a joint capital with both states having a 60:40 stake in the union territory. Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government rules in Punjab while Haryana has a Congress government.