Rs 460-cr disbursed for Kangra airport expansion, says Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said awards worth Rs 460 crore have been released for the land acquired to expand Kangra airport. He said another installment of Rs 1,899 crore was ready for disbursement.

While reviewing tourism projects, he said expansion of Kangra airport would bolster economy of the region. “It will go a long way in promoting tourism activities, generating employment and self-employment opportunities for locals,” said Sukhu.

He also reviewed the ongoing project of setting up heliports across the state and directed to accelerate the construction work. “The operational authorisation for Sanjauli and Rampur Bushahr heliports has been received from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and operations should commence soon after completing the remaining codal formalities,” he said.

Sukhu reviewed the ongoing construction work of other heliports being set up at Kangnidhar in Mandi, Rakkar and Palampur in Kangra, Sultanpur in Kullu, Reckong Peo in Kinnaur and Jaskot in Hamirpur and instructed the officers to complete these projects by next year.

“Better air connectivity for the tourists will boost tourism. New routes for operation of the helicopters should be identified and made operational to facilitate the tourists,” he said.

He also reviewed various projects being constructed with Asian Development Bank funding.