A preliminary assessment by HAL and consultation with his ministry will decide on Goa's feasibility for setting up a helicopter manufacturing unit, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Monday.
Parrikar was speaking to reporters during a two-day visit to the state.
"I have told them to conduct a study and give a preliminary report...They will decide whether it will be a helicopter manufacturing unit or a repair and overhauling facility or some component integration, and get back to me," Parrikar said.
Soon after being appointed as defence minister, Parrikar had asked Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to examine if Goa could be made a hub for manufacturing helicopters.
Parrikar now said that he had asked HAL, a government of India undertaking, to submit the preliminary report as soon as possible, but also added that setting up of such a facility could not happen overnight.
"I will speed it up. But such things don't happen overnight..." Parrikar said.
