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SHILLONG — Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday attended the seaplane demonstration held in Umiam Lake in Shillong.
The event was organised by the Meghalaya government’s transport department in collaboration with the Union government’s Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Speaking at the occasion, Sangma, said: “In the late 90s to the mid-2000, as a budding entrepreneur, I travelled to various parts of the northeastern region of the country which is about a 20-hour journey by bus to state capitals particularly to Kohima, Imphal and other places to build up my business. I realised the gap of connectivity and challenges which I had faced then and when we came to the government in 2018, aviation became a key component for upgradation and change.”
He further said: “With the introduction of the UDAN scheme in 2008 it became a major game changer in terms of connectivity for India and particularly for the state of Meghalaya and the northeastern region in general. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it a point to connect the regional headquarters to other smaller states and we have seen this unprecedented change in the last eight years. Now we can travel in an hour’s time to the other northern state capitals by air and has seen a significant change and growth in trade and connectivity.”
Sangma stated that he was informed that it takes 200 metres of waterbody and 5 metres of depth for seaplanes to land and take off.
“With the terrain and landscape of Meghalaya this will be conducive as water bodies can be created as we receive adequate rainfall,” he added.
He said it would be cost-effective as it would take an amount of 15 lakhs approximately to build a dam for landing rather than building a runway for an airport.
The Chief Minister also informed that a reservoir in Tura to curb water scarcity is being built and in the next few years would be in line for seaplanes to land as well.
He said: “We have faced significant challenges for the Umroi airport and are pushing for the expansion of the runway for mid-sized aircraft like the Airbus A320 to take off and land. We have been able to sustain connectivity to Delhi but want to expand that network. We are also keen to operationalise the Baljek Airport in Tura and I am sure with the support of the Aviation Ministry this would become a reality.”
Speaking about the impact of the seaplane demonstration, the Chief Minister said that the seaplane would be meaningless if it is not connected to a whole ecosystem which needs to be developed particularly tourism, trade and commerce, connectivity etc.