Manipur govt pushes MoCA for more helicopters, lower fares & new helipads
Imphal: The Manipur Government has urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Government of India, to advise helicopter companies to increase the number of machines in order to meet the high inter-district demand for air services.
Anurag Bajpai, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS–Transport & TCI), Government of Manipur, stated this in an official communication after he recently met the Secretary of MoCA in New Delhi.
In the statement, Bajpai urged MoCA to note that both companies—Pawan Hans and Global Vectra Helicorp Limited (GVHL)—are currently operating only one machine each.
He also highlighted that Pawan Hans charges higher fares than GVHL for the same sortie, violating the agreement with MoCA under the RCS UDAN scheme.
The ticket fare of GVHL is around Rs 2,500 per person, whereas Pawan Hans charges around Rs 3,500 per person.
The ACS suggested that Pawan Hans should consider operating on all routes, as GVHL does. He also requested the Secretary, MoCA, to consider sanctioning helipads at Kamjong, Senapati, and Ukhrul districts as a special case.
Additionally, he drew the Secretary’s attention to the long-pending request of the Government of Manipur to rename Imphal International Airport as Bir Tikendrajit International Airport.
In this context, Anurag Bajpai chaired a comprehensive review meeting in Imphal on Thursday, attended by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) project team, State PWD, State Transport Department, and all executing agencies.
The meeting finalised an action plan to fast-track key works, including the early inauguration of the cargo terminal, expedited PWD construction of the six-lane approach road from the National Highway to the New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB), and timely completion of all pending NITB activities by 2026.
The Chairman assured full support and coordinated assistance from the State Government to ensure smooth execution and accelerated progress of the Imphal Airport development project.