Baldeo village proposed as site for new airport

Baldeo is 25 km from Agra,20 km from Mathura city,130 km from Greater Noida and about 20 km from National Highway 2,which connects Delhi and Agra.

The report says that about 300 acres can easily be made available for the airport in the region. In fact,about 250 acres is already available with the government. It consists of land owned by the gram sabha and various government departments,including irrigation.

The administration had considered Mant area,from where Jayant Chaudhary,son of Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh,had contested the Assembly election. But,in a survey,it was found that the area is densely populated and land acquisition could be problematic.

Baldeo village has religious significance — it is regarded as the birthplace of Balram,the elder brother of Lord Krishna,and has a popular temple.

An official said,“While a large chunk of land is available with the government,acquiring the remaining land should not be a problem as most of it is single-crop land. In its manifesto,the SP had promised to avoid acquisition of double-crop land. Also,the area is strategically located between two tourists spots and has good connectivity.’’

Unlike Jewar airport,where the previous Mayawati government was keen to build an international airport,this site is outside the 150-km radius of Delhi international airport.

The report will now go to the tourism department — the nodal department for the project.