Arunachal Pradesh urges Centre to develop airports in the state

Arunachal Pradesh has urged the Centre to develop airports and other ancillaries in the state in its new aviation policy. The matter was raised by the Arunachal Civil Aviation Minister Thangwang Wangham in a meeting for consultation of the Draft Civil Aviation Policy, convened by the Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Wangham proposed the ministry to include a provision for construction of new airports of "short take off and landing" type in the prospective locations of the state, an official communique said here today.

He further said that the new policy should provide for a regional cargo hub in the north eastern region which would widen the scope of various region-specific trade and commerce activities.

"Arunachal with its potential in sectors such as food processing, floriculture and agriculture will stand to benefit considerably from such a hub. I propose establishment of a regional cargo hub, preferably in Guwahati which is the hub and gateway to all the north eastern states," he said.

He also requested the ministry to rationalise the cost of air turbine fuel. "The present rate of tax on Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) in the state is 20%. The state government can review the rate in due course to attract airlines," he said.

Stating that there is a need to include a provision of employing people from the region in the civil aviation sector, Wangham said the policy should give adequate weightage to capacity building, training and assistance for manpower at all levels.

"This will in the long term facilitate the manning of airports, remote helipads and Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) by technically trained professional people at the local level," he said.