Kota: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said Kota would emerge as a major centre of growth in Rajasthan with the development of modern infrastructure, including the new airport project.
In a video message at the foundation-laying of greenfield airport in Bundi’s Shambhupura, Modi said that development in the Hadoti region, comprising Kota, Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar, is all set to gain fresh momentum with the project, to be built at a cost of around Rs 1,500 crore.
The prime minister said that before 2014, there were only about 70 airports in the country, but today, this number has increased to more than 160.
“These new airports have facilitated air travel, promoted tourism, created employment opportunities for the youth and accelerated the development of their region,” he said.
The prime minister recalled that during his visit to Kota in November 2023, he had promised that the long-pending demand for an airport would soon be fulfilled.
“Today I am happy that the moment has come when the construction work on the Kota Airport is about to begin,” Modi said.
The airport project would significantly improve connectivity for Kota and neighbouring districts such as Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar, he said.
Modi said the facility would reduce the need for residents to travel long distances to catch flights and would also boost tourism, trade and employment opportunities in the Hadoti region.
“When connectivity increases, the potential for development also accelerates. The new airports built in different parts of the country in the last 11 years have given a new impetus to development,” he said.
Modi said that when the state government and the central government work together, when the intentions are clear and the resolve is strong, the pace of development increases manifold.
“That is what is happening in Rajasthan today,” he added.
He also highlighted the region’s strengths in sectors such as energy production, agriculture and traditional products including Kota stone and Kota Doria sarees, and said better connectivity would help these industries reach wider markets.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu were present at the ceremony.
