Jodhpur, Rajasthan: Today, a new era of civil aviation has begun in Jodhpur, the sun city, the brave land of Marudhara and the symbol of Rajput pride. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his whirlwind Rajasthan tour, inaugurated the grand and state-of-the-art new terminal building at Jodhpur Airport, built at a cost of Rs 480 crore. This is not just a building, but an unimaginable confluence of folk culture of Marwar and modern technology of the 21st century which is going to give new heights to the flight of development of Rajasthan in the times to come. Along with this, PM Modi also launched the revised UDAN scheme that will change the face of the country's regional connectivity.
At first glance, this new terminal of Jodhpur Airport looks like a grand and historical palace of Rajasthan instead of a modern airport. Inspired by the centuries-old royal architecture of Rajasthan, this terminal has traditional and artistic arches as well as very beautiful windows. Spread over an area of more than 23,000 square meters, this luxurious terminal now has the capacity to handle 20 lakh passengers annually. But, behind this royal look there is a big secret hidden to save the environment. The entire terminal meets the stringent 5-star GRIHA green building standards. This means that the building is completely energy-efficient and will be environment-friendly by consuming minimal electricity.
Spread over an area of more than 23,000 square metres, the new terminal building has a capacity of approximately 20 lakh passengers annually. Its biggest feature is its design, which is inspired by the traditional royal architecture of Rajasthan. Arches, windows and a glimpse of local architectural style can be seen in the building. Furthermore, this terminal is built in accordance with 5-star GRIHA green building standards. This means that the building is based on energy efficient, eco-friendly and sustainable construction principles.
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The biggest and surprising feature of this new terminal is its 'multi-layer' security system, which has turned Jodhpur Airport into an impenetrable fort. Here 9 X-ray baggage screening systems equipped with advanced computer vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been installed by Vehant Technologies. These scanners work on 'dual-energy imaging' technology, which provides security personnel with a simultaneous horizontal and vertical view of the luggage. With this, any contraband, drugs or weapons kept hidden will be detected in the blink of an eye. The real suspense of security does not end here. 6 such Explosive Trace Detectors (ETD) have been installed at the airport, which run on the world's first nanosensor-based technology. Branded 'NanoSniffer', these detectors detect even the tiniest traces of explosives (Rdx/Explosives) on passengers' clothes, electronic devices or vehicles in less than 10 seconds. This means that now no suspicious thing will be able to dodge the security cordon.
Along with the inauguration of the terminal, the Prime Minister launched the revised UDAN (UDAN) scheme to boost the country's aviation sector, for which the government has allocated a huge budget of Rs 28,840 crore. The main focus of this ambitious scheme is to connect remote areas of the country by air route. Under this, in the next decade, 100 new or less used airports across the country will be fully operationalized and 200 new helipads will be developed in hilly and inaccessible areas.
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After launching this aviation revolution in Jodhpur, PM Modi's convoy headed straight to Balotra (Pachpadra), where he is going to lay the foundation stone and inaugurate record-breaking development projects worth about Rs 1.06 lakh crore. The eyes of the entire country are fixed on the moment-by-moment events of this historic day:
