U'khand to get regional wings this month

Flight operations between Dehradun and Pantnagar in Uttarakhand will start by the end of this month, the state's Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh said today.
Singh, who reviewed the status of airports and helipads via a video-conference link, said the civil aviation ministry has chosen Air Deccan under its UDAN scheme to operate flights between Dehradun and Pantnagar.
Besides, Heritage Aviation will conduct flight operations between Pithoragarh and Dehradun, Delhi and Pantnagar, he said.
Under the Centre's regional connectivity scheme, clearance has been given for two airports and 14 helipads.
Efforts are underway to ensure that maximum number of heli services are started in the next three-six months, the chief secretary said.

Air connectivity to remote areas of Uttarakhand will make it convenient for tourists to visit them, besides making relief-and-rescue operations easier at the time of a disaster, Singh added.
Air and heli services to be launched in the state include Mussoorie-Dehradun, Nainital-Pantnagar, Chinyalisaur- Sahastradhara, Dharchula-Haldwani, Almora to Pithoragarh and Pantnagar; Gauchar to Joshimath, Sahastradhara and Shrinagar; and Haldwani to Haridwar and Dharchula.