Tourism sector dismayed by delay in Kheria airport terminal

The tourism industry is deeply concerned about the delay in the construction of the new airport terminal at Kheria, gateway to the Taj Mahal. More than two years of the Covid-19 pandemic has hit the tourism sector badly. This year, some revival has been seen, as reflected in the steady rise in the number of visitors to the Taj Mahal and other monuments in the city. However, work on the new terminal building of the Agra airport at Kheria Air Force base has again been stalled due to a pending court case. This information emerged in a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by lawyer K C Jain. The reply said the new terminal scheme is held up as environment clearance couldn’t be obtained due to a court case. “Modification application has been filed in the Supreme Court … the land has been acquired and boundary wall constructed. Work will be re-planned after environment clearance is obtained.” Presently, only five cities are air connected with Agra: Bangaluru, Bhopal, Lucknow, Mumbai, Ahmedabad. The air strip belongs to the Air Force. This causes lot of inconvenience to passengers. The terminal building being used is said to look like a bus stand. Also Read: Bechtel India seals Noida airport deal with Tata ProjectsChandigarh mulls green channel to speed up airport travel