Opposition parties punch hole in UDAN scheme

The Opposition on Tuesday in Lok Sabha sought to punch holes in the Government’s regional connectivity scheme UDAN claiming that less than 50 per cent routes awarded under the marquee initiative were operational and only a fraction were functioning without subsidy.

BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy who is also a commercial pilot urged for the need to develop 30-40 greenfield airports in the country to cater to the requirement of ever increasing number of air passengers.

Participating in the discussion on demands for grants for the Civil Aviation Ministry, he said that upgrading existing airports and using defence enclaves for civil aviation “is not the future.”