The State Government on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for development of an airport at the Raigarh district headquarters at a cost of Rs 280 crore.
The MoU was signed between Secretary, Civil Aviation Department, Subodh Kumar Singh and AAI Chairman VK Agrawal at a function held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Raman Singh who also holds the Civil Aviation portfolio at his residence late on Tuesday night, an official statement issued here said.
The airport to be developed in Raigarh would be the second in Chhattisgarh to be offering domestic air services. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the day international air services commence from the Swami Vivekanand Airport in Raipur, the State Government would bring down the prevailing Commercial tax charged on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 5 per cent to one per cent. Singh made the announcement while handing over possession of 350 acres of land at free of cost to the AAI Chairman for development of facilities for commencing international flights from Raipur.