ગુજરાતી
English
The scam has not only been done by the BJP, it has reached the level of shamelessness
Build gardens and stadiums on the 265 acres of land of the old airport of Rajkot, but if it is sold, it will have to face opposition
Dilip Patel
Ahmedabad, July 12, 2024
Digging land means bowing down in shame. BJP leaders do not dig land. That is, not looking down due to the effect of shame, remorse or humiliation. They have become shameless leaders. Wherever land is found, the first thought that comes to mind is how to earn money by selling the land. Protests are going on in Rajkot on the issue of airport.
The same applies to the 92-year-old airport of Rajkot. Due to the construction of the new airport, Rajkot airport has been closed from September 10, 2023. BJP officials are angry over their 265 acres of land. They will blow it up anytime.
1 crore 15 lakh 43 thousand 400 square feet of land. Here the price of one foot of land is 30 to 35 thousand rupees. According to that, the price of land is 30 to 38 thousand crores. There is no city in Gujarat with such a vast land. The devilish idea of how to sell this 265 acres of vacant land of Rajkot is roaming like a snake in the minds of the leaders.
265 acres of land belongs to the Airport Authority. The Civil Aviation Department of Gujarat State and the Aviation Department of the Center have to decide what to do with the land.
The land of the old airport was given by the royal family. The then District Magistrate Prabhav Joshi said that this land is currently in the name of the State Kata Airport Authority. He said that no private person has any interest in this land.
Rajkot lacks playgrounds. There is a lack of gardens. Green belt is no small matter. There is no big stadium for cricket or football. Therefore, there is a demand to reserve the land only for communal activities. There is a demand that this land should not be used for any government office or only for government projects.
Grounds of more than 10 meters height cannot be built around the airport. But in Rajkot, a scam of billions of rupees has happened by giving permission to build buildings higher than 12.38 meters at the old airport. Just as corruption of 25 crores was done by giving permission to build 18 buildings with a height of more than 12.38 meters near Surat Airport, the same is happening in Rajkot. The corruption price of one floor and one flat is Rs. 1 lakh, thousands of such flats are going to be built. The surrounding area has become a dense residential and commercial area. In which some redevelopment plans are coming.
Permission is being given to build high-rise buildings around. Due to which builders are getting profit of billions of rupees. There is a demand that permission should not be given to build high-rise buildings within a radius of 100 meters here.
There were 13 flights daily from the old airport to Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata. Which is closed. Keeping the airport closed for a day on September 9, the equipment has been shifted from the old airport to Hirasar International Airport.
The old airport cannot serve aircraft larger than Boeing 737-800 and Airbus 320. Extension of the runway is also not possible due to railway lines and state highways on the eastern side of the airport. Water can still be used for small aircraft. It is used today for VIP aircraft and helicopters. Therefore people are demanding that after 25 years there will be a large number of private helicopters and small aircraft. Flying cars are also coming. Therefore this airport should be retained and used.
Rajkot city with a population of 20 lakh is the fourth largest city in the state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat. It is the center of Saurashtra in Gujarat. In 20 years, the population of Rajkot is going to be around 50 lakh. Therefore there is a demand that this land should be kept for public use only.
The old airport of Rajkot was closed from 8-9-2023. The helicopter landed when the Chief Justice arrived at the airport near the racecourse. The airport is completely closed for air traffic. But, VVIPOs use the old airport while coming to Rajkot as they have to land 35 km away from the city and come by road. June Airport was to remain open for helicopter landing for VIPs. It is closed for private helicopters. (Google translation from Gujarati)
