Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami met Union Civil Aviation Minister Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Tuesday.

Mahesh Dhoundiyal - Delhi

In the meeting, detailed discussions were held on the development of aviation sector in the state, improving air connectivity, and promoting tourism in Uttarakhand.

The Chief Minister informed that a total of 524.78 acres of land was transferred by the Uttarakhand government to the Airports Authority of India to increase the runway length of Pantnagar Airport from 1,372 meters to 3,000 meters. The master plan of Pantnagar Airport has been prepared by the Airports Authority of India. He requested the Union Minister to direct the Airports Authority of India to start the work immediately.

The Chief Minister requested the Union Civil Aviation Minister to expand the Jolly Grant Airport and extend the night operations till midnight. This step of the government will enable more passengers to benefit from air services.

The Chief Minister said that under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, he requested to start regular air service from Naini Saini Airport (Pithoragarh) to Indira Gandhi International Airport (New Delhi) under RCS Udaan. This will benefit the local people. Also, starting air service from Pithoragarh to Dharchula and Pithoragarh to Munsiyari with the approval of RCS Udaan will greatly facilitate the local people in commuting. He said that in view of conducting night operations at Naini Saini Airport, the watch extension of the airport should be increased so that more passengers can take advantage of the air service. The Chief Minister said that Pithoragarh is a remote district of Uttarakhand, where air connectivity will be very useful for the movement of local people. Pithoragarh district is also very sensitive from the security point of view as it borders Tibet (China) and Nepal. The Chief Minister has requested the Union Aviation Minister to open 'House of Himalayas' stalls at Dehradun, Pithoragarh and Pantnagar airports, so that local products can be promoted. Along with this, the Chief Minister also requested to start direct air services for Dehradun-Haldwani, Dehradun-Pantnagar and Dehradun-Nagpur and to start international air services from Jollygrant Airport (Dehradun). The Chief Minister requested the Union Minister to inspect the Chinyalisaur and Gauchar airstrips and initiate action to start air services. Union Civil Aviation Minister Shri Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu assured positive action on all the proposals.