Lucknow: Farmers whose land was acquired for the Noida International Airport project in Jewar, took the first flight out of the airport to Lucknow on Monday, where they were welcomed by chief minister Yogi Adityanath who praised their decision to part with their land for the sake of Uttar Pradesh’s development.Meeting 172 farmers, including 28 women, the CM spoke about the region’s growth due to the airport, saying that the “god of wealth Kuber wanted to go there”.Highlighting the journey of land acquisition for the airport, Yogi said that after the airport proposal was approved, he gave the district magistrate 100 days to initiate the land acquisition process. However, the project was unable to move ahead.“I then convened a meeting with around 100 farmers at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida. I said that the airport has to be built, but farmers are refusing to part with their land. There was uncertainty everywhere. I told them that we wanted to develop the area, yet people were refusing. I requested them to think about it for an hour, adding that the airport will change their destiny,” he said.In his interaction with the farmers, the CM told them that history is made by those who seize opportunities and that those who let opportunities slip away, end up being left behind.Praising the role of local MLA Dhirendra Singh, Yogi said that farmers then placed confidence in the govt and the land acquisition process was started by Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) and the UP civil aviation department. More than 13,000 acres was acquired on which the airport is being developed in four phases.“When the first land registration took place, farmers visited me along with the MLA. I assured the farmers to go ahead with the registration as they would receive compensation beyond what they could have imagined. We were not bargaining with you. We gave you what was rightfully yours. I had said that it will be only you and us in this process, with no middlemen in between,” the CM recalled.“Jewar is no longer the old Jewar. It has created history. Nine years ago, the area was a centre of criminal activities. Movement on roads would cease after sunset. Daughters were unsafe, youth faced uncertainty about their future, and farmers lacked basic facilities. Exploitation of farmers was widespread. Roads, electricity, healthcare services, schools, employment opportunities, and welfare initiatives for the poor were largely absent,” the CM said.“Now, major companies from across the country and the world are keen to establish base in Jewar. The airport itself is set to become India’s first integrated cargo and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hub. This would help farmers to export their produce across the world, with international markets providing them with significantly higher returns,” he said.Thanking farmers, Yogi said that their timely decision to give up their lands enabled the development of India’s largest airport with both cargo and MRO facilities. “Until now, India lacked sufficient aircraft MRO infrastructure, forcing airlines to depend on facilities in Singapore and Dubai. In future, people from across the world will come to Jewar for these services,” he added.Highlighting development in Jewar, the CM said that food processing units, semiconductor units, data centres, film city, toy park, apparel park, medical device park, and world-class IT and electronics cities would be set up there. He added that five globally ranked universities were planning to establish campuses in the region.“The scale of investment coming to Jewar will require a highly trained workforce. The Yamuna Authority, in collaboration with Tata, is advancing plans to establish a centre of excellence with an investment of approximately Rs 250 crore. The centre will provide training in modern technologies, along with certificate, diploma, degree, and skill development programmes. Local youth will gain opportunities to participate directly in the region’s development and secure employment generated by incoming investments,” the CM said.Responding to demands by the Jewar MLA, the CM agreed to start a degree college in the region during the current academic session. He also gave nod to requests for improved medical and sports facilities, adding that a trauma centre was being developed in the region while an indoor stadium could also be set up there.
