INDORE: Rahul Gandhi might be dreaming of the Indore joining the league of top five cities in near future, but for industrialists, it still remains a pipedream. In absence of major facilities, including passport offices and an international airport, one cannot imagine it to be a developed city.
CII state unit head Ranjan Mimani told TOI, “We welcome Rahul Gandhi’s statement on Indore making it to the top five cities and we hope it will give a fillip to our long-pending requests for opening of passport office and setting up of an international airport in Indore. Every state capital has got regional passport offices and there are passport service centres in other cities. Last year, the ministry had unveiled 77 such centres across the country but Indore was ignored.”
“A city which does not have an international airport cannot join the league of developed cities,” association of industries, MP, vice-president Alok Dave said. “Though efforts are on to develop one, Centre must intervene to expedite the process,” he added.
A local travel operator, Rahul Muchhal, said, “We urgently need an international airport in the city.”
Air Asia officials already visited Bhopal many times to discuss their plan with government officials about establishing an aviation hub in Indore. Officials from Changi airport at Singapore had also visited the state capital evincing their interest to start a direct flight from Indore to Singapore. Besides, Jet Airways has been working on an idea to have direct international flights from the city in future, sources said. The state government’s decision to reduce VAT on air turbine fuel to 5% has been hailed by the local industries.
“But everything is happening at a snail’s pace. Unless we have an international airport functioning in city, we cannot catapult our city to the list of top five cities,” said a businessman, who often travels abroad.
Congress party vice-president Rahul Gandhi during his recent public address in Indore had said he would like to see Indore joining the league of top five cities of the country. Recently, a Bangalore-based firm had shown in its report that Indore has surpassed several other cities of the country on 16 parameters like housing, hotel, mall and multiplexes, health, infrastructure among others.
Indore among top cities: A pipedream, say businessmen
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