Jaipur, March 6 (IANS) A day before the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Kota–Bundi Greenfield Airport, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday credited the previous Congress government for initiating the project, saying key steps including land allocation and initial approvals were taken during his tenure to make the airport a reality.

The foundation stone of the Kota–Bundi Greenfield Airport, an important project for the Hadoti region, will be laid on Saturday at the new airport site in Shambhupura in the presence of Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.

On the same occasion, foundation ceremonies (Bhoomi Pujan) will also be held for two major drinking water projects for the region — the Navnera Mega Drinking Water Project and the Parvan–Akawad Mega Drinking Water Project.

The Kota–Bundi Greenfield Airport will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,507 crore and will have a peak-hour capacity of around 1,000 passengers.

The project will include a 20,000 square metre terminal building, a 3,200-metre-long and 45-metre-wide runway, parking facilities for Airbus A-321 category aircraft, and seven apron bays for aircraft parking.

The airport is expected to significantly improve air connectivity for Kota, Bundi and the entire Hadoti region, boosting tourism, business and regional development.

Ashok Gehlot said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had promised the people of Kota an airport during a public meeting, following which the Congress government took concrete steps to implement the project. “In 2021, our government allotted 1,250 acres of land free of cost for the airport project in Kota,” Gehlot said.

He added that in 2022, a budget of Rs 120 crore was also approved for shifting power lines required for the airport construction.

However, Gehlot alleged that the project remained stalled for nearly four years due to delays by the Central government.

“Now that the foundation stone is being laid, it is hoped that the construction work will be completed expeditiously and with high quality,” Gehlot said.

The former Chief Minister also said the Congress government had worked to develop Kota as a major tourism hub, citing projects such as the Chambal Riverfront, which was built to boost tourist inflow to the region. He alleged that due to the neglect of the present BJP government, facilities such as restaurants and other amenities have not yet been developed at the riverfront.

Gehlot said the Rajasthan government should further develop and properly maintain the riverfront so that tourism in the Hadoti region can grow and the airport project can also become more meaningful.

Meanwhile, many dignitaries are expected to attend the event, including Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Education Minister Madan Dilawar, PHED Minister Kanhaiya Lal Chaudhary, Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Kota district incharge Gautam Kumar Dak, and Minister of State for Energy and Bundi district incharge Hiralal Nagar.

Other public representatives expected to attend include Kota South MLA Sandeep Sharma, Ladpura MLA Kalpana Devi, BJP city president Rakesh Jain, rural district president Prem Gochar, along with several officials and local representatives.

–IANS

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