Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki met Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism (Independent Charge) Dr. Mahesh Sharma in New Delhi yesterday to seek the latter's support to improve air connectivity between his state and the rest of the country.
Chief Minister Tuki reiterated the immediate need to introduce more commercial flights connecting New Delhi to Lilabari, the nearest airport to Itanagar to benefit passengers from Arunachal Pradesh.
In his submission to Dr. Sharma, Tuki said "In view of the absence of a full-fledged Airport at Itanagar, the local populace of my state is dependent on flights mainly from neighboring airports in Assam, particularly Lilabari, which is at a distance of around 72 kms from Itanagar. Presently, ATR services are being operated from the Lilabari Airport by Allianz Air with the support from North Eastern Council (NEC) in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF)."
"The services of Allianz to and from Lilabari were started to cater to the passengers from the North Bank of the Brahmaputra and more particularly those from Arunachal Pradesh. It may be mentioned from the collective experience that the services of Allianz are far from satisfactory. There are problems related to the frequency of flights as well as the scheduling. The frequency of flights to Lilabari is not only low but also irregular," he added.
"Moreover, the timeslots and schedule are not convenient for passengers as they do not in any way help in connecting them to important airports. This service, which is being run as a circuit for the entire North Eastern Region has, therefore, diluted the rationale for connecting the passengers from the North Bank of the Brahmaputra and Arunachal Pradesh," Chief Minister Tuki said further.
"Therefore, I would request you to introduce Boeing Services to and from Lilabari to New Delhi via Kolkata/Guwahati (at least four days a week) to overcome the aforementioned challenges. You may also recommend the private operators to start services in this sector to provide Air Connectivity for the people of our strategic state," he said.
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He also discussed the pending sanction of a greenfield airport at Hollongi and requested Dr. Sharma to recommend the inclusion of the proposal in the 2015-16 general budget proposals.
While drawing the attention to the issue of DGCA audit and certification of nearly 120 helipads in different parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Tuki requested Dr.Sharma to ask the DGCA to complete the certification in the greater interests of ensuring safety standards.
Arunachal Pradesh's Secretary (Planning) Sonam Chombay, who was also present in the meeting, flagged the issue of the installation of Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) in all Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) of the state to facilitate operation of civilian aircrafts.
Member of Parliament Ninong Ering requested Dr. Sharma who also holds the tourism portfolio to extend necessary support to enhance the tourism potential in the state.
While assuring the delegation, Dr. Sharma said that he would take necessary measures to expedite all the issues raised in the meeting within a week.
Later in the day, the Director General of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Dr. Omkar Rai called on the chief minister to finalise the modalities for setting up of a STPI Park at Itanagar.
The decision to complete the modalities before Statehood Day was taken in the meeting.