Will take up issues related to Madurai airport with Aviation Minister, says Congress MP
The Hindu
He will remind Jyotiraditya Scindia of the promise to make it a 24x7 functional airport; his plea to convert Silambu Express into a daily train has been rejected, says Manickam Tagore
Member of Parliament from Virudhunagar constituency B. Manickam Tagore of the Congress has said he would press for introduction of more direct flights from Madurai airport to destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Muscat, Sharjah and Singapore.
Speaking to reporters at Madurai airport on Saturday, he said he would participate in a meeting in New Delhi on Monday, which would be chaired by Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. “I wish to raise the promise made by the Union Minister regarding Madurai airport last year,” he added.
The Union Minister had assured to make Madurai airport a 24x7 functional one by increasing the strength of Central Industrial Security Force personnel and enhancing other infrastructure facilities. Flights to major cities like New Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru would be increased and international status would be accorded to the airport, Mr. Scindia had promised.
Pointing out that airports in other cities such as Surat, Varanasi and Agartala had got the international status, he hoped that the Centre would be fair in giving due importance to the airports in Tamil Nadu too.
The MP said his plea to the railways to convert Silambu Express into a daily train had been rejected. Similarly, his request for stoppage of many trains at Tirumangalam and Tirupparankundram stations too had not been accepted, he added.
The announcement to commence a survey for Metro rail project for Madurai was the first step towards implementing the big project and attributed it to the efforts of Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan.
On setting up All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Madurai, Mr. Tagore said by the time the buildings were in place, the first batch of medical students would have completed the course without even stepping into the premises. The BJP had made tall claims, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself laid the foundation stone for AIIMS in 2019. But the institute would be declared open only in 2026. He thanked the Japanese government for giving financial assistance through Japan International Cooperation Agency.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.