Sukhoi to take off from Navi Mumbai airport: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

Screengrab from live streaming

Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced that a Sukhoi fighter jet will take off from the Navi Mumbai international airport this week.

Shinde made the statement in an event in Nagpur during which Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stone of various development projects in the poll-bound state, news agency PTI reported.

"I want to give good news that in the next two-three days Sukhoi fighter jets will take off from the Navi Mumbai international airport," Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said, during his address at the event through a video-conferencing.

The greenfield Navi Mumbai international airport near Mumbai is currently under construction. It is expected to be operational by March next year, officials had said earlier.

He also quipped, "We all believe that Modi ji is a bigger fighter than the Sukhoi fighter jet and he fights with all the Opposition [parties] and wins on his own. Hence, his fighter jet has landed in the hearts of 140 crore people. Modi ji is taking the country to greater heights at the speed of a jet."

Congratulating PM Modi for the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) victory in the Haryana Assembly elections, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde assured that the success will be replicated in the coming elections in the state.

PM inaugurates 10 medical colleges in Maharashtra

He further said that Maharashtra has the highest number of medical colleges in the country. PM Modi inaugurated 10 new medical colleges in the state on Wednesday, which was a record, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde added.

"Before 2014, there were 387 medical colleges in the country and the number rose to 706 in the past 10 years. Similarly, the number of airports in the country has rose to more than 150 from 74 in 2014," the CM said.

Thanking PM for the development projects, Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that the inauguration of 10 medical colleges in a single day was a proud moment for the state. He further stated that the upgradation of the Nagpur airport will create a large number of jobs and investment opportunities in central India and also give a boost to the Nagpur cargo hub.

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari was also present at the event. He expressed his happiness over the 'bhoomi-pujan (ground-breaking ceremony)' of the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Nagpur International Airport's new terminal. "It will boost economic activity and benefit Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh along with Maharashtra's Vidarbha region," the senior BJP leader said, while also praising Fadnavis for his efforts for the development of Nagpur airport.

(With PTI inputs)