Soon, more airports are likely to come up under Modi government’s UDAN scheme! The state government of Karnataka has proposed to open airports at Byndoor and Karwar under the regional air connectivity scheme of the Union government- UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme, according to a PTI report. On Sunday, while speaking after the inauguration of the Karnataka coastline business conclave organized by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry), the State Minister for Medium and Heavy Industries Jagadish Shettar said that soon, the process of land acquisition for setting up these airports at Byndoor and Karwar will begin.
The minister was quoted in the report saying that under the UDAN scheme, new airports have already been developed in Hubballi and Belagavi and around 15 to 20 flights are operating daily from the two places. The process of land acquisition, according to the minister, is being expedited in the state for boosting industrial development. Karnataka has received industrial investment proposals worth an amount of Rs 1.60 lakh crore, Shettar further said.
A few days ago, the Civil Aviation Ministry had invited bids for about 392 routes under the UDAN scheme to improve domestic connectivity and make flying more affordable. Under this regional air connectivity scheme, which is completing four years this year, as many as 325 routes, and 56 airports, have been operationalized till now. Also, this includes two water aerodromes as well as five heliports. Recently, the ministry said that under the bidding process of UDAN 4.1, nearly 392 routes have been proposed. According to the ministry, the UDAN 4.1 round focuses on linking the country’s smaller airports, along with special helicopter and seaplane routes. Under the Sagaramala Seaplane Services, some new routes have been proposed as well. This has been done in consultation with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.
