Bhagwant Mann trying to divert attention from his sacrilegious conduct against the Guru Sahiban : Sukhbir S Badal (Asserts he answered all questions asked by the SIT during the two hour session, says SIT not formed to bring the accused to justice but to politicize the issue) (Thousands braved heavy rain to express solidarity with the SAD president, announce they would take the vendetta exercise head on) Chandigarh 20 July ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today said chief minister Bhagwant Mann wanted to divert attention from his sacrilegious conduct against the Guru Sahiban and Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawala by summoning him for questioning in a eleven year old firing case in Behbal Kalan which was still under investigation after all these years.The SAD president, who answered all the questions asked by the SIT during a two hour questioning session, said “the SIT is asking the same questions again and again. This is the fourth time I ...
Rajinder Gupta’s efforts bear fruit as Prime Minister Modi all set to inaugurate Halwara airport on February 1
Rajinder Gupta’s efforts bear fruit as Prime Minister Modi all set to inaugurate Halwara airport on February 1
Punjab/Chandigarh 31 January ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : A long-cherished aspiration of Ludhiana’s industrial heartland is set to take flight as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Kartar Singh Sarabha Airport at Halwara on February 1. The inauguration marks a historic milestone in Punjab’s infrastructure growth and a major boost to air connectivity for Ludhiana and the wider Malwa region.
The commencement of operations at Halwara Airport comes after sustained efforts by Rajya Sabha Member and Padmashri awardee Rajinder Gupta, who had raised the issue in Parliament on the very first day of his tenure. Emphasising the airport’s critical importance for trade, industry and regional development, Gupta had urged the government to expedite its operationalisation. Following his intervention, the Centre assured priority action, an assurance now fulfilled with the Prime Minister dedicating the airport to the nation.
Developed through a joint venture between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Punjab Government, the new terminal building has been constructed at a cost of ₹54.67 crore. Spread over a built-up area of approximately 2,000 square metres, the facility includes an apron and allied infrastructure, with a peak-hour capacity of around 300 passengers and the ability to handle up to two lakh passengers annually.
Thanking Prime Minister Modi, Rajinder Gupta said the Malwa region, particularly Ludhiana, which is the industrial backbone of Punjab, hosting thousands of manufacturing units and MSMEs. In the absence of a local airport, traders and entrepreneurs were compelled to travel to Chandigarh or Amritsar, leading to significant loss of time and resources. The launch of air services from Halwara, he said, would greatly ease business travel, attract fresh investment and strengthen export-import operations.
Rajinder Gupta earlier had highlighted that Ludhiana alone contributes over ₹72,000 crore to India’s industrial output and houses more than 1.5 lakh MSMEs, yet lacked a commercial airport for decades. He also underscored the needs of Punjab’s 22–25 lakh strong NRI community, students, medical travellers and entrepreneurs. Equipped to handle around 2,500 passengers daily with 10–12 flights from day one, Halwara Airport will connect Ludhiana directly to major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai.
The airport’s inauguration is widely seen as a catalyst for accelerated growth, creating employment, boosting tourism, reducing congestion at other airports and firmly integrating the Malwa region with national and global markets.
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