HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Oct 30: Giving a boost to regional connectivity, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday attended a virtual programme to flag off the operations of Alliance Air in the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
As a part of the new operations Alliance Air will travel between Lilabari, Ziro, Shillong, Imphal and Mizoram.
Speaking on the occasion, Sarma termed it a significant day as the Alliance Air operations would lead to greater air connectivity in the North East particularly between the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur.
Chief minister Sarma on the occasion said, “I consider the launch of these air operations not just an extension of airline routes but more importantly a futuristic gesture, which will go a long way in promoting people to people contact, tourism and trade.”
He, on the occasion, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said it is due to his policy of ‘Transformation through Transportation’, the North Eastern states have witnessed unprecedented improvement in the connectivity sector in the last eight years.
The chief minister also said that Lilabari in Lakhimpur district is an important corridor to the North Eastern states. The airport is a corridor to several tourist places as the state government for the development of the airport has already handed over 84 acres of land for construction of basic strip and isolation bay.
Sarma also said that under the Prime Minister’s initiative with the help of UDAN scheme all important cities of the North East have been brought together under the regional connectivity scheme. Rupsi airport in Western Assam which remained defunct since 1984, has been redeveloped under UDAN scheme and has been in operation since May last year, the chief minister added.
Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union minister for law and justice Kiren Rijiju, Union minister of state for civil aviation V K Singh, chief minister Manipur N Biren Singh, chief minister Meghalaya Conrad Sangma, chief minister Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu, CEO Alliance Air Vineet Sood attended the flag off ceremony virtually from their respective places.
