The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the BJP-led Central and Haryana Governments are overlooking Haryana’s interests by deciding to shift the proposed international airport to Jewar in Uttar Pradesh.
Rohtak MP and Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda claimed that the airport had been sanctioned for Haryana by the previous UPA government. He alleged that the Manohar lal Khattar government in the state has failed to protect Haryana’s claim.
Hooda, while talking to the mediapersons here, said ignoring Haryana’s claim for an international airport, the Centre recently made an announcement for setting up of a new international airport at Jewar, Uttar Pradesh.
lashing out at the BJP, the Congress leader also accused the Centre of putting on backburner various development projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore for Haryana including the airport project.
Apart from the Rs 20,000 crore airport project, this includes the Rail Coach Factory, which was to come up in Sonepat and National Defence University in Gurugram, he claimed.
He said as a lok Sabha MP from Haryana he had pursued with various Central Ministries seeking necessary permissions and clearances for setting up a greenfield airport-cum-cargo complex at village Bhaini Bhairon in Meham.
“When I had raised the matter on the floor of the House, I was told that some files related to the project were not found. Now, in the forthcoming monsoon session, I will again raise this matter and question the Centre about shifting the project to UP,” said Rohtak MP.
He said Haryana remained one State in the country, which does not have a single airport, either domestic or international. They are relying either on Delhi or Chandigarh airport.
An international airport would have meant employment for thousands of youth of Haryana, said he while adding that the project could have also catered to States like Punjab and Rajasthan.
The Congress leader said that he would like to appeal to MPs from the region including BJP MP from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh Dharamvir and Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala of INlD, whose constituents would have benefited from the airport project to join hands and fight for bringing the project back to Haryana.
Deepender Hooda added that he is also willing to be part of any all-party delegation to meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue if the Chief Minister of Haryana decides to take a lead in this.
The lok Sabha MP also listed a series of projects which was sanctioned for Haryana during the tenure of previous UPA Government but has been shifted to other States by the current Central Government.
Recently, all India Congress Committee in-charge communication and Haryana MlA, Randeep Singh Surjewala had raised the issue of international airport and alleged Central Government has betrayed Haryana’s interests by sanctioning the airport at Uttar Pradesh.