With the International Aviation Hub coming up at Hisar, Haryana government intends to enhance rail and road connectivity between Delhi and Hisar to boost the economic development of the area and enhance viability of the aviation hub.
The Haryana Civil Aviation Minister, Rao Narbir Singh, on Wednesday said the Hisar airport would be ready for operations under the Regional Connectivity Service Scheme of the Union government by July, 2018.
He said a proposal for enhancing rail connectivity between Delhi and Hisar was under active consideration. Work on direct rail connectivity between New Delhi and Hisar would be expedited, and appropriately strengthened to accommodate superfast trains. This would reduce the distance and time taken to travel between Hisar and New Delhi, he said.
Similarly, a proposal for developing controlled access expressway from Delhi to Hisar is under consideration, and a meeting was also held in this regard with the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, where it was decided that the existing four-lane national highway between New Delhi and Hisar would be converted into a six-lane controlled access expressway for rapid connectivity between the two cities, Singh said.
This would give a boost to the economic development of the area and enhance viability of the International Aviation Hub at Hisar, the minister added.
Singh said after the decision to elevate Hisar Aerodrome to the level of International Airport, the state government has set apart about 4,200 acres of land adjoining the existing airstrip at Hisar, which is 165 kilometers from New Delhi.With an operational flying club being run by the state government on 196 acres of land, it is an ideal site for development as an integrated aviation hub, the minister said.Having a large cantonment which is strategically close to the Punjab and Rajasthan borders, Hisar is also ideal for defence and aerospace industry, he added.
Singh said the state government was proceeding with the plans to develop the International Aviation Hub at Hisar. In this regard, an memorandum of understanding was signed with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) on December 11, 2017 for technical assistance in setting up the infrastructure and other facilities for the project, he said.