Uttar Pradesh to have 5 more airports says Scindia flags off Ayodhya-Ahmedabad flight service
New Delhi/ Lucknow, Jan 11: Uttar Pradesh will have five more airports in the next one month that will take the total number of airports in the state to 19, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday as he flagged off direct flight from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad.
The Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30.
Scindia said that five new airports will be inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh in one month. The airports will be at Azamgarh, Aligarh, Moradabad, Chitrakoot and Shravasti, taking the total number of airports in the state to 19.
IndiGo, which has started services between Ayodhya and Delhi from January 11, will operate flights between Ayodhya and Ahmedabad thrice a week. The carrier will commence operations on the Mumbai-Ayodhya route from January 15.
Scindia flagged off the flight from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad virtually from the national capital. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state's Tourism and Culture Minister Jayveer Singh, Lok Sabha members Lallu Singh and Kirit Premjibhai Solanki also participated in the virtual event.
According to the Union minister, Ayodhya airport will be expanded and the runway will be extended that will allow landing of bigger aircraft and operation of international flights.
Adityanath said that around 100 chartered flights are expected at the Ayodhya airport for the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple on January 22.
Highlighting that improved air services contribute significantly to tourism and business activities, he said the number of air passengers in the state grew nearly 30 per cent to 96.02 lakh in the last financial year compared to 59.97 lakh in fiscal 2016-17.
The chief minister said that Ayodhya is now a sought after destination for everyone, and the government has improved its connectivity by road, rail, and air, aligning with the prime minister's vision.
The state government allocated 821 acres of land and the civil aviation ministry developed a world-class airport within the given timeframe, he added.
The Ayodhya airport, which is built in an area of 6,500 square meters with the capacity of handling 600 air passengers at peak hours, will be expanded.
As part of the second phase of expansion, the airport's capacity will be expanded to 3,000 passengers in the next phase.
Similarly, the runway which is 2,200 metres long will be increased to 3,700 metres so that larger aircraft and international flights can also operate from the airport, he added.
Scindia also said that air connectivity has increased sharply in Uttar Pradesh in the last nine years.
The state had only 700 flight movements weekly in 2014, which has now increased to 1,654 flight movements per week, he added.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
