Kota, March 7 Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had requested the construction of an airport in Kota and repeatedly raised the issue in every parliamentary session, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said on Saturday during the laying of the foundation for a Greenfield airport here.
Addressing the gathering, Naidu praised Kota as a city that connects people from all parts of the country through their children studying there and for its use of sandstone in construction.
The Greenfield airport will now enable people from any part of the country to travel to Kota, which has been difficult in the absence of an airport, he said.
Naidu recalled, "Birla called me into his chamber and said, 'An airport must be constructed in Kota; tell me when you plan to do it?' Since then, he has been pressing me on this issue in every session."
On the occasion, the Speaker thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling his promise of building an airport in Kota during the 2023 campaign.
He also thanked Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Naidu, saying, "both are committed to completing it by 2027."
The Union minister said, "Under the leadership of Modi, a new airport is being constructed in the country every 45 days, and this is because 'Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai'."
Earlier, leaders and people used to demand railway connectivity to their cities, but now they demand air connectivity, he said.
The airport will bring a significant difference in the lives of people, with growth and employment opportunities, Naidu said, citing the example of Purnia in Bihar, where the airport saw a footfall of one lakh people in five months, adding that one operational flight alone provided employment to over 100 people within the airport premises.
Addressing the gathering, Sharma claimed that his government is committed to providing drinking and irrigation water to every household and farmer.
"Every farm is set to receive water for irrigation, and every household is set to receive drinking water in the state," Sharma said.
"We have generated 8,261 MW of electricity in two years and supplied electricity to 22 districts of the state during daytime, and in the future, our government will provide 24-hour electricity supply," Sharma added.
The chief minister said that the Congress government was known for cases of paper leaks and scams, while his government has not seen such cases in over two years.
With the appointment of over 21,800 youngsters by the Prime Minister in Ajmer on February 28, the state government has already provided jobs to 1.25 lakh people in two years, while the process for 1.35 lakh jobs is underway, he claimed.
Around 400 people involved in cases of paper leak and scams have been sent to jail, and several "crocodiles" are set to be apprehended, as no one will be spared, he said.
"We have fulfilled 73 per cent of our promises in two and a quarter years of government, and we have three years remaining," he said.
"Kota is set to become an industrial hub, in addition to being an education hub," he said.
Sharma said that the government has added Rs 3,000 to Kisan Nidhi, bringing the total to Rs 9,000, and has distributed loans of Rs 50,000 crore to farmers without interest.