Chennai: Soon,
one can expect a 20-seater or a 40-seater passenger aircraft to land in
a civilian airport in Kanyakumari or Rameswaram, if one goes by civil
aviation ministry’s proposal to connect smaller towns with larger ones
in the country.
According to ministry sources, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari have huge tourism potential, but lack of air connectivity is hampering their growth.
“I have been to Madurai several times. But I have not found the time to travel four hours to visit Rameswaram temple,” said banking professional Viswanathan Iyer, who hails from Baroda. Madurai is the nearest airport to Rameswaram and it is 170 km away. Similarly, people from Kanyakumari are forced to travel 100 km to take flights from Thiruvananthapuram airport.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman V.P. Agrawal said the duty of the ministry was to identify potential airports across the country, whereas, it was only the state government that had to apply for new airports.
“We want to improve regional air connectivity, so that people from across the country are able to visit smaller the towns. But it is the responsibility of the state government to allot land and develop it through PPP model or make a request to AAI,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Ramanathapuram MLA Prof M. H. Jawahirullah said a civilian airport was a necessity in Rameswaram. “Apart from religious purpose and tourism potential, the district also has maximum number of expats in the state. So, I will make a request in the coming session of the state assembly for a civilian airport in Rameswaram,” he added.
He further noted that enough government wasteland is available in Rameswaram island for developing a new airport.
According to ministry sources, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari have huge tourism potential, but lack of air connectivity is hampering their growth.
“I have been to Madurai several times. But I have not found the time to travel four hours to visit Rameswaram temple,” said banking professional Viswanathan Iyer, who hails from Baroda. Madurai is the nearest airport to Rameswaram and it is 170 km away. Similarly, people from Kanyakumari are forced to travel 100 km to take flights from Thiruvananthapuram airport.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman V.P. Agrawal said the duty of the ministry was to identify potential airports across the country, whereas, it was only the state government that had to apply for new airports.
“We want to improve regional air connectivity, so that people from across the country are able to visit smaller the towns. But it is the responsibility of the state government to allot land and develop it through PPP model or make a request to AAI,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Ramanathapuram MLA Prof M. H. Jawahirullah said a civilian airport was a necessity in Rameswaram. “Apart from religious purpose and tourism potential, the district also has maximum number of expats in the state. So, I will make a request in the coming session of the state assembly for a civilian airport in Rameswaram,” he added.
He further noted that enough government wasteland is available in Rameswaram island for developing a new airport.
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