Government says Uttar Pradesh wants to set up airport at Ayodhya

The state government of Uttar Pradesh is keen to set up an airport at Ayodhya and has initiated talks with the union civil aviation ministry, minister of state (independent charge) in civil aviation ministry Hardeep Singh Puri told Lok Sabha in a written reply today.

The airport is expected to be developed under the regional connectivity scheme of the government.

This comes within three weeks of the Ayodhya verdict. On November 9, the apex court, in a unanimous judgement, ordered that a temple must be constructed at the disputed site in Ayodhya and Muslims must be given a 5-acre land at a prominent place in Ayodhya.

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Two days later, Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari wrote to Puri on November 11 requesting the construction of an international airport at Ayodhya.

"The state government has initiated discussions with the government of India for development of the airport at Ayodhya. At present, Airports Authority of India (AAI) is in receipt of a proposal from state government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) indicating that the state government will develop the existing airstrip through state construction and designed services (UP Jal Board) under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN," Puri said in the written reply.