The Congress Government at the Centre has failed to release grants to the Goa Government for beginning tourism-centred aviation services in the State, Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar has said.
“We had given permissions to three private agencies to start these three projects through the public private partnership (PPP) mode, but despite our permissions, the Civil Aviation Ministry has rejected their proposals,” Parulekar said adding that if the money was sanctioned, the services could start as early as tomorrow.
The Tourism Department has for long been speaking about the launching sea-plane tours as well as helicopter services and amphibian buses to service tourists in the State that draws nearly three million visitors each year.
The Minister said that Mumbai-based private aviation player Maritime Energy Heli Air Services had been selected by the Goa Tourism Ministry to develop a seaplane service in Goa, whose beaches open out to the Arabian Sea.
Pawan Hans, which specialises in developing helicopters had won the State Government’s bid to start a heli-tourism circuit, with the Goa Government having already chosen two sites for developing helipads.