BJP's Pauri Garhwal MP Baluni seeks air connectivity to towns in constituency

Gopeshwar, Uttarakhand: Pauri Garhwal MP Anil Baluni has requested the Centre to extend air connectivity under the UDAN scheme to Gopeshwar, Jyotirmath, Ramnagar, Lansdowne and Pauri towns of his constituency to boost tourism and reduce migration from the hills of Uttarakhand.

In a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Baluni also sought upgradation of the Gauchar airstrip.

"Ramnagar is the gateway to the world-renowned Jim Corbett National Park. Linking Ramnagar with air connectivity will give a much-needed boost to the tourism sector," Baluni said in the letter.

Being the headquarters of Pauri district, Pauri is an important administrative hub. Good air connectivity between Dehradun and Pauri is the need of the hour, he said.

Describing Lansdowne as an important tourist destination nearest to Delhi, besides being the headquarters of the Garhwal Rifles, the BJP MP said it deserved to have good air connectivity.

Pitching for good air connectivity to Gopeshwar and Jyotirmath (Joshimath), he said these were two remote townships with strategic importance, being close to the India-China border in Chamoli district.

Baluni also requested the minister to take up upgradation of the Gauchar airstrip on a priority to enhance connectivity to the remote locations of the Garhwal region.

Linking Uttarakhand's remote towns with good connectivity under the UDAN scheme will help address the problem of migration, besides giving a boost to tourism, Baluni said in his letter.

The Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik -- UDAN -- initiative is a regional airport development programme of the Centre and part of the Regional Connectivity Scheme of upgrading under-serviced air routes.

Rishi Prasad Sati, a former president of the municipal council of Jyotirmath, thanked Baluni for his efforts, saying modernisation of facilities at the Gauchar airstrip would provide convenience to the common people as well as pilgrims.