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To boost intracity connectivity as well as air travel, the Uttar Pradesh government in its 2024-25 annual budget, which was presented on Monday, has allocated ₹1,150 crore for the construction and land purchase for the upcoming Noida international airport (NIA) in Jewar, Gautam Budh Nagar, and ₹914 crore for the under construction Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project.
The announcement was made by state finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna as he tabled the budget for the fiscal year in the state assembly on Monday.
“A provision of ₹1,150 crore is proposed for the establishment of an international airport and the purchase of land in Jewar of GautamBuddha Nagar district,” Khanna said.
In his budget speech, Khanna said with the inauguration of Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya, four international airports have become operational in the state and South Asia’s largest international airport is going to open soon in Jewar, Noida.
“With this, Uttar Pradesh will become the only state in India to have five international airports,” Khanna said.
The first phase of the Noida airport in Jewar is under construction and operations are likely to start by December 2024. The airport is expected to handle about 71 million passengers per day by 2042-43. To connect the airport with the catchment area, the Uttar Pradesh government has requested National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) to propose a high-speed rail link to the airport.
Plans are also afoot to link the RRTS in Ghaziabad to the upcoming Noida airport. In this context, a feasibility report has proposed 11 RRTS stations on the 72.2km link and as well as a 15-station local metro module, officials said.
The state budget also set aside ₹914 crore for the RRTS project, which is under construction to link the three cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut via a 82km network, being built at a cost of ₹30,274 crore. Twenty-one of the 25 RRTS stations fall in Uttar Pradesh — eight in Ghaziabad and 13 in Meerut.
According to officials of NCRTC, agency executing the RRTS project, the Centre has to bear 20% of the cost, the UP government 17% and Delhi government 3.25%, while the rest will be funded by multilateral loans.
“The total share of the UP government is ₹6,048 crore. Of this, the government has already paid ₹4,742 crore. And on Monday, the budget has allocated another ₹914 crore. The work on the project in Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut is proceeding at a fast pace,” said a spokesperson from NCRTC.
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