Uttarakhand: Flights will land at Jolly Grant and Pantnagar airports even at night! There will be air connectivity at tourist places
There are immense possibilities of tourism in Uttarakhand. This is the reason why the Uttarakhand government is laying special emphasis on tourism related arrangements. In this sequence, the CM has given instructions to expand heli services within the state. In fact, the 9th meeting of the Board of Directors of the Civil Aviation Development Authority was held in the Secretariat on Thursday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. During the meeting, CM Dhami directed the officials to work fast towards connecting all the districts and important tourist places of the state with air service.
CM Dhami said that attention should also be paid to the arrangement of night landing at Jolly Grant and Pantnagar Airport, expansion of airport and development of infrastructure facilities. To ensure that passengers and tourists get the benefit of better air facilities during the Chardham Yatra, emphasis should be laid on making better arrangements to stop ticket booking and black marketing of tickets. If cooperation is needed from the central government level to increase heli connectivity in the state, then a complete proposal should be prepared. So that air connectivity can be increased in the state.
During the meeting, the CM said that work should be done to increase connectivity from Dehradun as well as Pantnagar Airport to all the major cities of the country. A master plan should be prepared so that the land in the Pantnagar airport area can be used properly. The CM said that there is a need to expand heli connectivity to promote industries in the state and make Destination Uttarakhand successful. Because only on the basis of heli facilities will people be able to be motivated to come to Uttarakhand.
The CM directed UCADA to focus on increasing its income resources. Along with this, instructions were given to improve the facilities at Naini Saini, Chinyalisaur and Gauchar airstrips so that the facility of small aircraft can be made available. The heliports being developed under the Udaan scheme should also be improved with the necessary resources. The CM directed to make practical the proposal to increase the landing and parking fees of UCADA’s helipad, ground and hangar.
During the meeting, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has agreed to the proposal to buy a new aircraft (helicopter) for the state. Therefore, the process of purchasing a new aircraft for the state will start soon. Instructing the officials, the CM said that till the new aircraft is purchased, take an aircraft on lease. CM Dhami has also agreed to the MoU with the Airport Authority to set up a Manned Traffic Control Center at Kedarnath Dham and Sahastradhara helipad to establish contact with the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) in case of emergency for operating the heli service and the expenditure incurred on it. The CM has approved the purchase of a fuel pump for refueling the helicopter in the Kumaon region and a vehicle to transport oil barrels.
