Jolly Grant Airport will soon have night parking facility for planes

By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 10 Oct: Union Civil Aviation Secretary, Pradeep Kharola called on Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat at his official residence here today. Detailed discussion was held between the two regarding expansion of air services in the state. As had been decided in the past too, expansion work is underway at Jolly Grant Airport of Dehradun and the Pantnagar Airport for their development as per the international standards. In the past too, there have been talks regarding night parking facility at Jolly Grant Airport since Delhi Airports are congested enough and additional parking space for aircrafts is required within the vicinity of the National Capital region. Rawat and Kharola agreed to explore the possibility of night parking facility at Jolly Grant Airport which can also generate some additional income for the Airport. It was also agreed to create additional heli ports in the state. During the meeting, the CM pointed out that additional land for the expansion of Jolly Grant Airport would be made available and for this a decision in principle had been taken by the government already. All necessary arrangements were being made by the state government to ensure that Jolly Grant Airport was upgraded and expanded as per international standards. The Chief Minister said that after the expansion of Jolly Grant Airport, it would have facility for night parking of aeroplanes. He felt that the expansion of Jolly Grant Airport would also boost tourism in the state. He noted that being a border area, it was important to make the airport in accordance with international standards from a strategic point of view.
The Chief Minister said that an effective initiative had been taken by the State Government to develop Pantnagar Airport as a green-field airport, for which necessary land had also been arranged by the State Government. The Chief Minister said that in view of the geographical topography of the state, there was a constant need for expansion of air services in the state. In this direction, an effective action plan had also been prepared by the state government, he added.
Kharola assured the Chief Minister of necessary cooperation in the expansion of air services in the state. He informed that the work of expansion of Jolly Grant Airport was being done at a rapid pace. About 80 percent of the work had been completed in the first phase of expansion work. Uttarakhand’s Secretary of Civil Aviation Dilip Jawalkar was also present on the occasion.