PUNE: The state
government is keen to build permanent helipads in every district to make
short distance sorties of VIPs safe.
Chief secretary Sumit Mullick told pune-news.com that all the temporary helipads were under review and
the state would contemplate on having permanent helipads in all the districts
near the headquarters. "We shall be reviewing all the existing helipads and
eventually go for permanent helipads smoother operation," he said. A
notification in this regard would be issued soon.
The chief minister's chopper accident at Latur recently made
it imperative for the state government to push for permanent helipads across
the state. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also called for
better infrastructure for helipads in its report after the incident. With VIP
movement increasing, the DGCA has put the onus on the government for providing
proper logistic support. The state civil aviation department has charted out
the locations for three permanent helipads to ease VIP movement in the state.
The DGCA stated that the helipads were usually made overnight
and the government should invest in proper infrastructure. Director, civil
aviation, Captain Sanjay Karve said last year a decision was taken to have
permanent helipads in the state. This year, it is getting a push, especially in
areas with high air traffic.
"We have temporary helipads at 10 to 12 locations. Of
them, some are on police parade grounds. Our first aim is to shift these
helipads to areas in the district headquarters to make it easy for air traffic
movement," said Karve, adding that nearly 95% of chopper movements were
VIP movement.
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