NOIDA: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday thanked farmers in Jewar for supporting the airport project by giving their land, helping UP’s flagship international airport to take shape.The CM emphasised land acquisition had moved smoothly in Jewar despite the region’s history of violent land agitations, in a veiled reference to Bhatta Parsaul and the prolonged land battle that followed, leading to many housing projects in Noida and Greater Noida getting delayed.“Earlier, several agitations took place here against the land acquisition. But we established a dialogue with the farmers. When they were connected with timely compensation and rehabilitation, the farmers contributed 13,000 acres of land for Noida International Airport. The farmers gave positive cooperation in the entire process,” he said, at the launch of the airport.The CM said the airport was the result of turning resolve into achievement. “Its runway will not only take UP’s economy to new heights but will also become the launchpad for the state’s future. This airport will drive employment, investment, and industrial development.”The CM said the airport was part of Prime Minister Modi’s broader push to build a Viksit Bharat over the past 11-12 years. He added that a self-reliant and developed India required strong infrastructure, and that while one runway was being launched, the airport would eventually have five runways and grow into a global aviation hub.The CM noted that Modi had laid the airport’s foundation stone on November 25, 2021, and was now inaugurating its first phase — calling it a testament to the speed of the double-engine government.
He highlighted the airport’s existing connectivity to the Yamuna Expressway and its planned links to the Eastern Peripheral, Delhi-Mumbai, and Ganga expressways, as well as the RRTS corridor. He said the project would directly or indirectly generate employment for lakhs of youth.On the global economic situation, the CM said that while petroleum prices were rising in developed countries, including the United States and across India’s neighbours, forcing some to cut production hours and implement rationing, India had maintained both uninterrupted supply and price stability. He thanked Modi for reducing excise duty on petroleum products.Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu called the inauguration “a celebration of the dreams, resolutions and possibilities of New India,” adding that Modi had dedicated more than 8,936 days to public service, steering India toward self-reliance and development.Filmmaker Boney Kapoor, who is developing the International Film City in the YEIDA area, said he was not merely supporting the project but was part of it. “It is PM Modi who has the foresight and CM Yogi who dreamed of all this,” he said.Among those present were Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, former additional chief secretary Awanish Awasthi, former Yamuna Authority CEO Arun Veer Singh, MP Mahesh Sharma, and Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh.
