Vasundhara Raje takes maiden flight from Jhalawar Airport, becomes North India's third longest runway

Jaipur, April 12 (IANS) Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and BJP MP Dushyant Singh inaugurated air services from the Deendayal Upadhyay Airport by boarding the first flight to Delhi, marking a historic moment for Jhalawar.

The airport, which now officially connects the region by air, boasts the third-longest runway in North India, measuring 3,120 metres in length and 60 metres in width -- capable of accommodating large aircraft such as Boeing 747 jumbo jets.

The launch coincided with Hanuman Jayanti, symbolically chosen to honour Lord Hanuman.

The runway's size puts it in the league of major airports in North India, comparable to those in Jalandhar and Kushinagar as such a big runway is available only in these two cities in North India.

Addressing the media, Raje expressed her emotions, calling it a dream project come true.

"I am overwhelmed to take the first flight from our long-awaited Jhalawar Airport. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma for turning this dream into reality," she said.

Reflecting on the region's development, Raje noted, "When I was first elected as an MP from this region, roads were scarce and poorly maintained. Today, we have excellent road networks, rail connectivity, and now, air travel. If there were a sea nearby, we could have even imagined cruise services!"

With this airport inauguration, Jhalawar takes a significant leap in connectivity and infrastructure, setting the stage for greater economic and tourism development in the region, she added.

Vasundhara Raje laid the foundation of this airport during her second term, where it was proposed to build an international airport and aircraft maintenance hub.

All types of aircraft were planned to be able to reach the aircraft maintenance hub.

In view of this, such a large runway was built here. But as soon as the previous BJP government changed and the Congress came to power, the budget here decreased and the work reached a very slow pace, said political sources.

--IANS

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