Heliport proposed near Manali, nod awaited

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, March 26

The Kullu Tourism Department has earmarked 12 bighas of land near green tax barrier at Manali for a heliport. The department has forwarded the case for approval under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA).

After getting approval of the Forest Department, the process of construction of the heliport will be carried forward. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has carried out the preliminary investigation and given approval to the site.

Earlier a site was earmarked at Pirdi, six kilometres from the Kullu-Manali Airport at Bhuntar. Its FCA case was prepared and uploaded for clearance. However, a ropeway is planned from Pirdi to Bijli Mahadev, near the earmarked place. Due to the proximity of the airport and the Bijli Mahadev ropeway, efforts were made to find an alternative site for heliport near Manali.

The state government proposes to set up heliports in every district of the state in order to improve connectivity and boost tourism. Efforts are underway to promote heli-taxi operations in the state.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sunder Singh Thakur said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is planning to have a big, dedicated heliport in Chandigarh to facilitate helicopter connectivity to all districts of the state. He added that the heliport will have additional facilities than those available at the Chandigarh airport for heli-taxis.

District Tourism Development Officer (DTDO) Sunayna Sharma said 0.98 hectares of land has been identified for the heliport near the green tax barrier in Manali. The FCA case has been prepared and uploaded for approval. Every year lakhs of tourists come to Manali. Their number is increasing every year. The tourism will get a fillip once heliport is constructed and regular operations of heli-taxis begin.

Manali residents say due to the efforts of Manali MLA Bhuvneshwar Gaur, there is a possibility that the heliport would be built near the green tax barrier.