By IANS,
Lucknow: A group of MPs of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Wednesday called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and urged the central government to give sanction to a proposal to develop a new international airport in Greater Noida.
“A delegation of MPs today (Wednesday) gave a memorandum to the prime minister, urging him to give due consideration to the state government’s proposal for setting up an international airport at Jewar (village), where sufficient land has already been identified and earmarked for the purpose,” an official spokesperson said here.
The two dozen MPs are believed to have impressed upon the prime minister that the proposed international airport could be the best alternative to the existing Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi, which has been completely saturated with the increased flow of air traffic.
Earlier in February, a similar delegation of BSP MPs had submitted a memorandum with the same request to Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel but they failed elicit any assurance.
The Uttar Pradesh civil aviation department has reportedly prepared a blue-print to further expand the proposed airport into a full-fledged aviation hub in the long run.
The proposed Greater Noida airport is also expected to ease travel for international tourists heading to the Taj Mahal at Agra.
“With the Taj Expressway getting completed by the end of the year, the driving time between Greater Noida and Agra would be reduced to less than an hour,” the spokesman said.