Chief Minister inaugurates Dehradun-Pithoragarh air service
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 26 Mar: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the Alliance Air Dehradun-Pithoragarh-Dehradun flight service at Jolly Grant Airport here on Thursday.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Dhami said that, with the launch of the 42-seater flight from Dehradun to Pithoragarh on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami, the Pithoragarh-Dehradun journey can now be completed in one hour. He added that this flight service is also strategically important.
Dhami added that there was a time when air travel was considered a privilege only for the elite and affluent. But today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even ordinary citizens wearing slippers can travel by air. In 2016, the Prime Minister launched a new revolution in civil aviation in the country by launching the UDAN scheme, which connects small towns, remote and border areas to the air network, providing affordable air services to ordinary citizens.
The Chief Minister reminded that the Central Government approved the UDAN Scheme 2.0 just two days ago. Under this, the goal is to develop 100 new airports and 200 new helipads over the next 10 years with a budget of approximately Rs 29,000 crore. This plan has been expanded to strengthen regional air connectivity, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, and to ensure affordable and accessible air service in remote and hilly areas.
The Chief Minister stated that, for a mountainous state like Uttarakhand, air services are not just a means of transportation, but a lifeline. Air services are proving effective in delivering essential supplies to inaccessible and remote areas and transporting critically ill patients to major hospitals for immediate treatment. He reminded that 26 air routes are currently operational in the state under the UDAN scheme. The Uttarakhand Air Connectivity Scheme will be launched in 2023 to provide air connectivity to remote areas of the state. Currently, regular flights are operating on six air routes under this scheme. In the past four years, the number of heliports in the state has increased from two to twelve, and the number of helipads has also increased from 60 to 118. Uttarakhand has also received the national honor of “Best State for Promotion of Aviation Ecosystem.”
The Chief Minister reiterated that with the start of Dehradun-Pithoragarh air service, the people of Pithoragarh can reach Dehradun in one hour. This service will give a new boost to the economy of Pithoragarh. He said that earlier the border areas were neglected for years, due to which the pace of development in these areas remained limited. Today the Central and State Governments are working together towards connecting the border and remote areas with the mainstream of development. Moving in this direction, a heli-service has also been started between Pithoragarh and Munsyari.
He asserted that the government is also working to develop Pithoragarh Airport at a cost of Rs 450 crore. In this regard, on the occasion of State Foundation Day, in the presence of the Prime Minister, an MoU was signed between the Airports Authority of India and the Uttarakhand government for the acquisition of Naini Saini Airport, which will further benefit the region in the future.
On this occasion, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, through a video message, extended his best wishes for the Dehradun-Pithoragarh flight service and assured to promote air facilities in the state. Cabinet Ministers Khajan Das, Bharat Chaudhary, MLA Brijbhushan Gairola, former MLA Chandra Pant, Hemraj Bisht, CMD, Alliance Air, Amit Kumar, CEO, UCADA, Dr Ashish Chauhan, ACEO Sanjay Tolia were also present at the function.
