Centre asks UP to speed up land transfer for airports

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to expedite transfer of land for airports at Agra, Jhansi and Meerut. Singh wrote to the State Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and asked him to take other measures in this regard.

The Minister has sought acquisition and transfer of 55.29 acres adjacent to the Agra’s IAF airport boundary for building a new civil enclave. While the airport at Agra is owned by the Indian Air Force and Airports Authority of India (AAI) runs a civil enclave inside it, passengers are 'subjected to harassment in the name of security,' which makes it necessary to have a separate civilian enclosure.

Singh also sought immediate transfer of the airstrip at Meerut, which falls under his Lok Sabha constituency, to the AAI, along with 427 acres for developing an airport there.

The Minister has also said the Jhansi airport, which was with the erstwhile National Airports Authority of India in 1986, was handed over to the Army in 1990 'without the concurrence/co-ordination with AAI.

Singh asked the State Government to take expeditious steps to transfer it back to the AAI and hand over 20 acres to carry out development work there.