Bathinda gets new airport

The historic city of Bathinda got a new airport today as Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju inaugurated the civil air terminal here, with local MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal also present on the occasion.
Addressing a gathering here, Deputy Chief Minister Badal said that with the establishment of a new airport and commencement of flights already in place, the industrial sector in the Malwa region would get a huge boost.
"This will create more employment avenues and lead to all round prosperity", he added.
He said the SAD-BJP government is working with the vision of linking Punjab to the world with a network of international and domestic airports.

He said besides the current airports, an additional airport has been approved at Adampur.
He also disclosed that the Delhi-Amritsar-Birmingham flight has been accorded sanction by the Union Government which would prove improve the State's connectivity with the United Kingdom.

He thanked Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Harsimrat Kaur Badal for making efforts to turn this dream into reality.
He said that Bathinda has witnessed revolutionary transformation during the past 10 years in each sector, particularly the development of roads and said it was all due to the sincere efforts of the SAD-BJP government.
He said the aviation sector in the state has been on the upswing under the leadership of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with a string of airports established or in the process of being established.

In another announcement, he said that to check problem of stubble burning in the state, a factory to generate oil from the crop residue would be laid soon.
He said this would lead to decrease in pollution and
benefit every farmer by Rs 5000 per acre.
Lambasting AAP Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Deputy Chief Minister said that first and foremost, the AAP leader should put a stop to his flip-flop over the SYL issue and spell out a clear stand on the matter.
In her address on the occasion, the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that ever since the NDA government has taken over, Bathinda has occupied prime importance in the scheme of things of the Union Government.

She said the Central University, AIIMS and now the Bathinda airport would act as game changers for the region.
She also expressed supreme confidence that top standard rail, road and air connectivity would make Bathinda an important trade and commercial centre.
The Union Minister also batted for the need to make Bathinda an agricultural, cargo, medical, entertainment and sports hub so as to be a role model in terms of development at both national and international level.
Castigating Congress, she said this party did nothing for either Bathinda or Punjab during it's tenure and it was only under the SAD-BJP government that the state has witnessed prosperous days.

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha and Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla were also present on the occasion.