Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 17 Jun: Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan chaired a high-level review meeting of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Department here today and reviewed the status of air services and the progress of airport and airstrip expansion initiatives aimed at enhancing air connectivity across the state.
During the meeting, District Magistrate of Dehradun Savin Bansal and of Udham Singh Nagar Nitin Bhadauria presented updates on the ongoing expansion work at Dehradun and Pantnagar airports, respectively. Bardhan directed both the officials to accelerate the completion of these projects, specifically instructing the Udham Singh Nagar District Magistrate to expedite the clearance of acquired land for airport expansion and proceed with further development.
In addition, Bardhan also directed the Pithoragarh District Magistrate to prepare a comprehensive operational structure plan for the airport, suggesting that personnel for smooth airport management be deployed through deputation from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) or outsourced from other relevant agencies. Regarding Pithoragarh airport’s expansion, the CS called for an assessment of the load-bearing capacity by IIT Roorkee or a comparable advanced institution. He also directed the Director General (DG) of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) Sonika to provide a detailed presentation at the next meeting, outlining the current status of various ongoing air connectivity projects along with future development plans. Aviation Secretary Sachin Kurve, UCADA Director General Sonika, and Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal attended the meeting in person, while the District Magistrates of Udham Singh Nagar Nitin Bhadauria and of Pithoragarh, Vinod Giri Goswami participated on a virtual basis.
