BJP win revives Jewar airport hopes

With BJP’s clean sweep in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, a proposed mega infrastructure project — an international airport in Jewar — could finally see the light of day. Talk of the second international airport in Greater Noidaresurfaced on Saturday, with the winning candidate for the Jewar assembly seat, Dhirendra Singh, listing it as his priority and Union minister for culture and tourism Mahesh Sharma, who is the MP from Gautam Budh Nagar, saying he would fulfil his promise to the electorate.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh, while campaigning in Jewar last month, had also said the Jewar international airport, first proposed by him when he was CM of UP in 2001, had already got the required approval from the Centre. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to develop world-class infrastructure in the country, which will help generate jobs,” Sharma told TOI. “The people of UP have shown their faith in the PM’s policies. We in turn will fulfil the aspirations of the people and my constituencies. We will seriously work towards establishing the airport in Jewar,” Sharma said.

Dhirendra Singh also said the proposed airport in his constituency would be a matter of pride.

The Yamuna authority has already reserved 5,000 acres for the project across 35 villages after it was first proposed in 2001.