UP govt to acquire 285 acres for Ayodhya airport, allots Rs 200 cr more

Under the project, the existing airstrip will be developed into a full-fledged airport to cater to bigger scheduled flights

Uttar Pradesh will acquire more than 285 acres for an airport in Ayodhya, aiming to revive the temple town's economy and create jobs.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's government has released an estimated Rs 200 crore to acquire land for the airport, which will be named after Lord Ram, after budgeting the same amount in March 2019.

The airstrip in Ayodhya spreads over 180 acres and the government plans to acquire 285 acres more for an airport that can handle commercial flights.

The airport project is aimed at putting Ayodhya on the national and international tourism map, boosting the town's economy.

“We have provided the requisite funds to the Ayodhya district administration for speeding up the land acquisition process,” UP civil aviation director Suryapal Gangwar told Business Standard on Monday.

The Adityanath cabinet in February 2019 cleared an expenditure proposal of Rs 640 crore on the airport and authorised the district magistrate to release Rs 200 crore towards land acquisition on a mutual agreement basis.

In the Annual Budget 2019-20, the government had allocated Rs 200 crore for facilitating land acquisition in the project. In the 2nd Supplementary Budget 2018-19, the government had in December 2018 already allocated Rs 200 crore towards the project cost.

The Ayodhya airstrip is fit to service small chartered planes. It needs to be widened to at least 45 metres and a 2.5-km long runway before it can accommodate bigger flights.