Ludhiana: The newly inaugurated Halwara Airport must launch full-scale cargo operations alongside its passenger services to unlock the economic potential of India’s “Manchester”, minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu said on Saturday.Speaking during the airport’s virtual inaugural ceremony, Bittu urged the civil aviation ministry to fast-track freight facilities, arguing that Ludhiana’s massive industrial base makes the site a strategic necessity for national logistics. Currently, the region’s exporters are forced to transport goods via road to Amritsar or Chandigarh to access international air corridors.
Bittu noted that Halwara was positioned to become the primary hub for the central Punjab industrial belt. “Industrialists from this region depend on distant airports for cargo movement,” Bittu said.
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“Halwara will cater to the entire industrial belt and significantly reduce logistics costs, making our exports more competitive.”The Union MoS also used the inauguration to propose a formal name for the facility. He urged the govt to name the airport after Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Kartar Singh Sarabha, the legendary freedom fighter and revolutionary who hailed from the nearby village of Sarabha.Economic ‘Gift’ to PunjabDescribing the project as a “historic gift” from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bittu highlighted the anticipated ripple effects on the local economy, such as trade growth, employment, and tourism. These include direct air access for international buyers visiting Ludhiana’s textile and bicycle hubs, besides new jobs in aviation, ground handling, and hospitality, along with better connectivity for the NRI (non-resident Indian) belt of Punjab. “The airport would handle far more passenger and cargo traffic than expected,” Bittu predicted, citing the sheer volume of trade generated by Ludhiana’s manufacturing sector. MSID:: 127840803 413 |
