Dholera Airport has been granted site clearance ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reply to RS MP Shri Parimal Nathwani͛s question reveals that ͚In principle͛ has been granted to 15 airport and site clearance to five airports ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi at helm, the central government focuses on boosting infrastructure projects in the country. In a reply to question raised by member of Rajya Sabha Shri Parimal Nathwani, the central government has said that it has granted site clearance for five airports including Dholera International airport in Gujarat. Moreover, the central government has accorded ‘In principle’ approval to 15 international and domestic airports. Besides, it has received proposals for development, expansion and up-gradation of airports in 34 cities of 16 states of India. The government of Gujarat is planning to develop Dholera as the first ‘Smart City’ of the state with investment of a huge amount of money. The central government has granted site clearance to Dholera International Airport to be developed by M/s Dholera International Airport Corporation Ltd. Moreover, the central government has also granted site clearance for Jamshedpur airport in Jharkhand, Machiwara at Ludhiana in Punjab, Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, Ongole in Prakasham District of Andhra Pradesh, said Dr. Mahesh Sharma, minister of state of civil aviation. The minister tabled the reply in the upper house in a reply to the question asked by Mr. Parimal Nathwani about development of proposed airports along with expansion and up-gradation existing airports in the country. The minister of state for civil aviation also said that the ministry has granted approval for setting up 15 green field airports in the country since 2000. According to the information availed to Shri Nathwani, green field international airports to be developed include Mopa Airport in Goa, Navi Mumbai International Airport in Maharashtra, Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, Karaikal in Pudducherry, Shridi in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra and Aranmula in Kerala. Reply to Shri Nathwani’s question also revealed that the central government has given ‘In Principle’ approval for development of domestic airport like Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Bijapur, Gulbarga and Simoga in Karnataka, Kannur in Kerala, Dabra at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, Durgapur in West Bengal and Pakyong in Sikkim. .