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Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh (fifth from right) seen here along with others during the re-launch function of Manipur helicopter service at Imphal International Airport on Wednesday, August 21.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Imphal, Aug. 21 (EMN): The Manipur helicopter service connecting Imphal with border towns such as Jiribam and Moreh besides Tamenglong, a hill town have been re-launched during a simple function at Imphal International Airport on Wednesday, August 21.
The helicopter services known as Manipur Heli service was re-launched by the state Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the presence of the Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar-led ministers and MLAs.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Biren said soon after the present government came into power, it started thinking about introducing helicopter service as done in other NE states-Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland considering the hardship faced by the people in the remote areas of the state.
Under the UDAN-2 scheme, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also agreed to operate Manipur Heli Service connecting Imphal to Parbung and Thanlon (in southern Manipur) soon, he said adding that the government is also planning to introduce helicopter service for the local sightseeing for tourists.
Now the Mumbai based Global Vectra Helicorp Limited as service provider for the Manipur Heli Service for the period upto March 31, 2020, will provide services by using BELL 412EP Helicopter with a seating capacity of 8-10 passengers.
Earlier the Noida based Pawan Hans Ltd was providing the helicopter services for a period after the service was inaugurated on September 19 last year.
On the other hand he also informed the gathering that Imphal-Mandalay flight service would be started soon as the Civil Aviation Ministry has agreed to hold a meeting with the flight operators to materialise the plans for the International flight service. Informing that the state had been demanding to increase the number of flights from Imphal with various parts of the country, he said Imphal-Dibrugarh flight service will be introduced soon. A new runway would be constructed soon in the Imphal International Airport with a project cost of INR 600 crore, he added.
The state chief secretary led top officials of the state transport department along with police officials and airport authority officials attended the day’s helicopter service re-launching function.
The helicopter service between Imphal-Jiribam-Imphal will operate daily except Sunday and public holidays. The flying time is around 30-40 minutes. Passenger service vehicles take nearly 8 hours to reach Imphal from Jiribam.
The service for Tamenglong will be available on Tuesday and Thursday while for Moreh, it will be on Friday and Saturday.
