Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said the government was strengthening air connectivity in the State, and 16 heliports were being constructed across districts, including tribal regions and far-flung snowbound areas of the hill State, in a bid to attract tourists.
He said heliports were being established in a phased manner to facilitate tourist access to unexplored destinations in Himachal Pradesh, with the aim of increasing footfalls and achieving the target of five crore tourist arrivals in a year.
“In the first phase, nine heliports would be developed, including Jaskot in district Hamirpur; Rakkar and Palampur in Kangra; Sultanpur in district Chamba; Manali in Kullu; Jispa, Sissu and Rangreek in Lahaul-Spiti; and Sharbo in district Kinnaur,” Mr. Sukhu said in Shimla.
“Detailed project reports (DPR) for the construction of Sultanpur, Rakkar, Palampur and Jaskot heliports have been received, while the process was underway for the other heliports. Apart from this, the Kangra airport is being expanded to facilitate high-end tourists,” he added.
In the second phase, the remaining seven heliports would be set up in Pangi and Holi in district Chamba; Auhar in district Bilaspur; Dharkiyari in district Sirmaur; Chanshal in district Shimla; Jankaur-Haar in district Una; and Galanag in district Solan, the Chief Minister said.
“Once commissioned fully, the heliports will prove to be a boon to the tourism sector of the State. When the destinations are made easily accessible, many people prefer to travel there, thereby giving a fillip to the local tourism industry and adding to the economy,” Mr. Sukhu said.
He said tourism was one of the key sectors contributing to the economy of Himachal Pradesh, besides opening up self-employment and other employment opportunities for local youth. “We have already decided to make district Kangra the ‘tourism capital’ of the State and will spend about ₹3,000 crore on this mega venture. This initiative will bring many new projects in the times to come,” Mr. Sukhu said.
