Rewa in Madhya Pradesh will soon have a fully equipped and modern airport. The state government has set aside a budget of INR 300 crore for the development and operations of the new airport.
The foundation stone for the same was laid by Union Minister for Civil Aviation & Steel, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, along with the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan.
Meanwhile, The state government has handed over the existing airport to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) for the revival and construction of facilities to operate 19-seater aircraft as of December 22.
AAI has been tasked with strengthening the existing runway along with the grading of runway strip area on either side of the runway, construction of RESA and construction of the terminal building of 750 sq meters with peak hour capacity of 50 passengers.
Rewa Airfield has a runway of 1400 meters with a small building of 150 sq meters and 61.95 acres of land. It was owned by the state government of Madhya Pradesh.
The state of Madhya Pradesh is all geared up to host the Gandhi Sagar Floating festival from February 1 to 5, 2023 which will feature tent city as well as adventure-based activities. To develop more destinations with a similar model under PPP mode, MP Tourism Board has identified 6 more destinations including the much-hyped Kuno and Orchha.
It has been mutually decided between the State Government and AAI that the state government would acquire additional land of 290 acres for making this airport suitable for ATR-72 operations.
Out of 290 acres of land, 137 acres are required for VFR operations and 153 acres are required for IFR operations. The State Cabinet has already approved the proposal to acquire 246 acres of private land and approved the compensation of INR 206 cores towards payment to the landowners.
The state government is expected to soon approve the acquisition of the remaining land.
Speaking at the event, Scindia said the Union Government is taking all steps for the all-around inclusive development of the country. “Parivartan (Transformation) is connected to Parivahan (Transport). Therefore, it becomes our duty to provide air connectivity to the Rewa region and fulfill the aspiration of the people,” he said.
The Minister said that in the 67 years post independence, there were only 74 operational airports in the country. Currently, 74 additional airports have been operationalised in only nine years and the number of operational airports in the country has doubled.
The UDAN scheme has fulfilled the dream of the common citizen of India and one crore fifteen lakh people have flown under this scheme on subsided fares, he emphasised.
