Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday requested union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to allow rickshaw parking at Ahmedabad’s Saradar Patel international airport. Modi said the days are gone when only high-class people were using flight services. Nowadays even a clerk wants his family to enjoy plane journey once in life. There are more common people traveling in planes but, the AAI still possesses a mentality that only high-class people travel in planes and therefore the AAI doesn’t permit rickshaws to park in airport premises. This has caused a situation in Ahmedabad that a person who wants to take rickshaw to go to his desired place in city has to walk two kilometers in search of rickshaw. Rickshaw is an identity of this city and allowing rickshaws at Ahmedabad airport parking will not diminish image of this airport, therefore they should be allowed here.

Modi said the growth in this sector took place so fast that, resources could not be developed in similar speed. Gujarat has in total 20 airports and the state is now in process to develop 11 more airports. Only Gujarat’s one single Kutch district has five airports.

Modi said Gujarat is committed for Public Private Partnership(PPP)model and it is now developing airports at popular pilgrim/tourist places such as Palitana, Dwarka and Ambaji. “One company is already prepared to start air-taxi service in Gujarat. But that company wants to import a plane from foreign land. A permission has been sought from central government for import of that plane,” Modi added.

Modi suggested that each of those airports named after some great personality in India should house multi language kiosks with all detail about that particular great person. Modi also suggested to initiate solar power and rain water conservation efforts at airport buildings. He praised the usage of solar light at Ahmedabad’s new airport building terminal 2.