Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that the land for construction of the heliport at Palampur in district Kangra has been transferred to the Tourism Department and the DPR in this regard will be ready shortly.  The proposed 82 Kanal land is situated in Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur which is approximately three kilometers from Palampur city. 

Sukhu said about Rs. 9 crore would be spent for constructing this heliport and the State Government is working to develop Palampur as an IT hub. He said this heliport will also give new impetus to tourism activities in Kangra district. He added that the State Government aims to establish heliports closer to the district headquarters to reduce travel time for high-end tourists. All the Deputy Commissioners have been instructed to identify land on priority for paving the way to implement this flagship scheme by constructing the heliports in their respective areas of jurisdiction. 

He said that this will not only give wings to tourism promotion in the State, but also assist in emergency situations as it will help in airlifting the patients in case of medical emergency. Additionally, these heliports could be used as evacuation points during any natural calamity and provide relief in times of distress.

The Chief Minister said that Kangra is being developed as a tourism capital of the state and efforts are underway to enhance the infrastructure to promote tourism in the district. He said that the expansion of Kangra Airport is currently in progress and the length of the runway will be increased from 1372 meters to 3010 meters to allow larger aircraft to land. The development of tourism facilities is expected to increase the influx of tourists and create more employment opportunities for the youth, he said.