Pb Cabinet gives nod to setting up of MRO facility at Patiala Aviation Complex

The Punjab Cabinet on Thursday approved leasing of four sites for the development of a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at Patiala Aviation Complex (PAC).

The cabinet, which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, approved leasing of the sites of 5,000 square feet each, an official statement said.

The move was aimed at enabling Punjab's development as a hub for aviation and defence industry to tap the future potential of the sector and create employment opportunities for youth, the Punjab government statement said.

The state government had identified aviation sector as a thrust area in the Industrial and Business Development Policy, 2017.

The Department of Civil Aviation had received communication from the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion (Invest Punjab), Department of Investment Promotion, regarding the setting up of MRO facility in Punjab.

Various companies have expressed interest in setting up such a facility and have requested for space near airports, preferably hangar sites at airports/flying clubs, it said.

"While proximity of Chandigarh/Patiala from the national capital Delhi makes it an ideal ground for setting up of MROs, the Department of Civil Aviation does not have any land at Chandigarh/SAS Nagar," the statement said.

"However, it has around 235 acres of land at the Patiala Aviation Complex, which currently houses a Flying Training School, an operational runway for medium size aircraft used for flying training, the Punjab State Aeronautical Engineering College for aeronautical engineers and the Punjab Aircraft Maintenance Engineering College (PAMEC) for technicians," it said.

In another decision, the Cabinet approved amendments to the Punjab Educational Service Rules (Teaching Cadre) and non-teaching Cadres of the Department of School Education, to realign them with various court judgements and change in the basic qualifications for various cadres, the statement said.

The rules governing service conditions of government employees to various services of the Department of School Education had become outdated and virtually outlived their relevance, since these rules were framed in the years 1941, 1955, 1978, 1995 and 2004 to regulate recruitment and service conditions of various teaching and non-teaching personnel, it said.

The amendments/changes would be incorporated in various existing rules, it said.