Modi expected to open Ambala airport in Nov: Vij

Haryana Cabinet Minister Anil Vij on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to inaugurate the Ambala Cantonment domestic airport next month.

The inauguration of the ambitious project has been pending for months. The Prime Minister is scheduled to reach Kurukshetra in November. During his visit, various developmental projects will be inaugurated, including the Ambala Cantonment airport.

Vij said: “The domestic airport is ready for inauguration, and I am hopeful that it will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Kurukshetra in November.”

Earlier, the minister had requested Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to inaugurate the project, as he has played an important role in its construction. The land required for the airport belonged to the Army, and the Defence Minister had helped the state in obtaining it, at a cost of Rs 133 crore.

An Air Force runway will be used for the project. A correspondence was made to fix a date for the inauguration, however, due to unfavourable weather, it was delayed.

Since the construction of the ambitious Shaheed Smarak is also in its last leg, the minister has requested the Prime Minister to inaugurate it as well. Vij said the Shaheed Smarak was being constructed to commemorate the heroes of the First War of Independence (1857). It would be the biggest memorial in Asia, he added, saying, through the memorial, people would be made aware of the truth of the freedom struggle, and the sacrifices of the martyrs.

The minister said the heroes of the first revolt had not received proper recognition. Their stories had not been told, and no special day had been observed in their honour. Extreme cruelty was inflicted during the First War of Independence, he said, adding that the inauguration of the memorial was likely to take place in the last week of November.

Project approved in December 2018 

In December 2018, the domestic airport project was approved under the UDAN 3.0 scheme by the Centre. The project got stuck due to land-related issues. The foundation stone for the project was laid in October 2023.