Chief Minister Harish Rawat formally launched domestic air service from Dehradun to Pithoragarh and Pantnagar at the Dehradun airport here on Wednesday. Expressing happiness at the formal lift off of the domestic air service, Rawat said that this will enable better utilisation of the helipads, air-strips and other aviation related infrastructure developed by the state at a cost of about `800 crore. The domestic air service will facilitate air-connectivity to the remote mountainous regions of the state in addition to providing a boost to tourism, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that road connectivity and air connectivity are vital for a State to establish its identity as a progressive state. He said, “Much work has been done on the road connectivity in the state. The domestic air services have been provided to facilitate air connectivity. This service will link the far flung areas of the state. The domestic air-services will be extended in the future,” said the chief minister. He further said that the domestic air services have been launched at this time so that the resulting benefit can be derived from it in the coming tourist season. “linking the remote mountainous areas of the state with air services is also of vital importance from the strategic point of view. The State Government is ready to provide land at Chaukhutiya apart from which the airstrip at Chinyalisaud can also be extended,” he added.
The State civil aviation secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram said that the first flight took off with eight passengers from Dehradun to Pithoragarh. Elaborating, he informed that out of the airports in the state, the Dehradun airport at Jolly Grant and the Pantnagar airport are operating. Regarding the other two—Pithoragarh and Chinyalisaud, Sundaram said that the plan is to link these two locations with fixed-wing aircraft. At least five places each in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions are to be provided air-connectivity with helicopter services. After preparing a detailed calendar, regular flights will be started in the near future, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that the seismically active and ecologically fragile Himalayan region in Uttarakhand routinely experiences landslides and other disasters especially during the rains, which affect or destroy motor road connectivity at various places. As evidenced in the June 2013 disaster, helicopter services can provide vital connectivity to places including remote mountainous locations difficult to access by road. However, observers opine that the general public opinion in the State remains divided on facilitation of regular helicopter services across the State considering socio-economic and environmental factors among other aspects.