Development not on agenda in UP for last 20 years: Ajit Singh

The Union minister also said for the last 15-20 years, development was not on the agenda of successive Uttar Pradesh governments.

"Chief ministers, ministers and MPs from all the states come requesting to give new flights and airports, but there is no deliberation from UP's side in this regard," Singh told reporters here.

The number of passengers from the state was only 1.8 per cent despite having 18 per cent population, the minister said.

"In other states airports have been constructed at small places.In UP there are only two airports of airport authority, rest five-six airports belong to defence services," Singh said.

The minister said that since March, Airport Authority of India, aviation ministry and even he himself has written several letters to the state government.

"There are three airstrips Faizabad, Moradabad and Meerut. We requested that give these airstrips to us and we will construct airports. Besides at places where there are airports of defence services, we requested the state to provide land and we will construct a separate terminal," he said.

The minister claimed that till date the state government has not replied to even a single letter.

Project of international airport was also sanctioned for Kushinagar in 2010, but there was no progress, he said.

"The then CM Mayawati proposed a new international airport at Noida, but this government wrote to us that they do not want it. Then we requested the government to construct a new airport near Agra expressway," he said.

The RLD chief alleged that not only the existing government, but he was of the opinion that in UP, development was not on the mind from the last 15-20 years.

"They have stopped at caste, cash and criminal," he alleged. MORE