International air cargo hub at Swami Vivekanand airport back on track

After nearly a decade, the proposed international air cargo hub at Swami Vivekanand airport in Raipur is likely to see the light of day.

 

“The proposal for an international air cargo hub was discussed during the meeting with Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and he has agreed to examine and take necessary action,” Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said.

 

The state will soon connect with Singapore and Dubai as the minister has agreed to start operation of international flights from the Chhattisgarh capital, Sai added.

 

According to Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials, they were ready with the infrastructure for the international air cargo hub as they were already operating a domestic cargo centre at the old terminal building.

 

It will not be a big task to convert the centre, but other formalities have to be completed from the end of the ministry of foreign affairs and finance. Handling international flights and cargo would require custom and immigration set ups, the officials added.

 

The plan for the international air cargo hub was conceptualised in 2013 by the then Raman Singh government. The foundation stone for the project was also laid, but it did not progress.

 

The state government in its project report had mentioned that Chhattisgarh is a land-locked state and hence the rich resources with which it has been endowed could not find place in the international showrooms. The artefacts, especially those crafted from bell metal and terracotta, are in great demand in the international market.

 

Besides, a good volume of forest produce from Bastar and Sarguja regions are also exported. The international air cargo hub at the state capital would facilitate exploring foreign markets for the Chhattisgarh products. In the 23rd meeting of the central zonal council held in August 2022 in Bhopal, the proposal was again put for reconsideration. It was approved by the council, but could not be expedited.

 

During a meeting with the civil aviation minister that took place last week, Sai discussed expanding air services in Chhattisgarh. The prominent issues included flight services to Ambikapur airport that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated last month.

 

Ambikapur is the divisional headquarters of Sarguja that houses the Hasdeo Arand region. It has a huge deposit of coal even as most of the blocks remain unexplored. The surge in the mining activities in the region would demand better air service in the region that Chhattisgarh government has been working on.

 

Sai also demanded a night landing facility at Bilaspur airport, which is nearest to the two prominent industrial towns of Chhattisgarh, namely Korba and Raigarh.