Shimla:- With the aim of strengthening air connectivity in the remote and hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh, daily helicopter services have been started between Kullu, Mandi and Chandigarh from today.
Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu virtually inaugurated these helicopter services running between Mandi-Chandigarh and Kullu-Mandi-Chandigarh from the newly developed Kanganidhar Heliport in Mandi. The Mandi-Chandigarh helicopter service will be operated under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN) of the Government of India, while the Kullu-Mandi-Chandigarh route will be operated by Heritage Aviation Private Limited Company.
Talking about the timing of this helicopter service, the helicopter will take off from Kullu at 9:00 am and reach Mandi at 9:10 am. After this, it will depart from Mandi at 9:15 am and reach Chandigarh at 9:45 am. On the return journey, this helicopter will depart from Chandigarh at 10:00 am and reach Mandi at 10:30 am and depart from Mandi at 10:35 am and reach Kullu at 10:45 am. Regarding fare, the estimated air fare for the Mandi-Chandigarh route under the Udan Yojana has been fixed at Rs. 3500, while the estimated fare for the Kullu-Mandi-Chandigarh route has been kept at Rs. 8500.
Equipped with modern passenger facilities and necessary infrastructure, Kanganidhar Heliport will serve as an important air hub for the central region of the state.
Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government is continuously making efforts to facilitate air access to the hilly and backward areas of Himachal. He expressed hope that the commencement of these services will significantly reduce travel time, boost tourism, increase the capacity to provide immediate help in emergency situations and provide great convenience to the locals as well as tourists coming from outside.
Laying special emphasis on the development of tourism in the state, the Chief Minister said that the state government is constructing heliports at the head offices of every district and other major tourist destinations. He said that under this scheme, the construction work of four heliports at Jaskot in Hamirpur district, Rakkar and Palampur in Kangra district, and Chamba is in its final stage and will be completed soon.