Mumbai: Even though civil aviation minister Ajit Singh has the power to approve import of planes and construction of new airports, the minister is facing problems in developing airports in his home turf.
Singh has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to hand over air strips at Meerut, Faizabad and Moradabad to the Airport Authority of India and also sought land from the state to develop facilities at Agra and Allahabad airports but the plans are stuck because of alleged lack of support from state administration.
"Why is the local government not taking any interest. Even a small state like Chattisgarh is promoting aviation. Development of aviation will only improve connectivity to tier II and III cities. It is vital for the economy," Singh stated.
According to Singh, the number of persons travelling from his state to Gulf is higher than Kerala but number of flights is less. Uttar Pradesh handles less than 2% of aviation traffic with most residents flying via Delhi, he said.
08/12/12 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard
