Vinit Wahi / New Delhi
A team of Airport Authority of India (AAI) will visit Mandi in Himachal Pradesh on 7 May to conduct a survey for construction of international airport at Mandi. A delegation of AAI officers had met the Chief Minister here in this regard.
The team will visit the proposed sites at Ner Dhangu in Balh sub division, Gogradhar in Padar and Mobiseri in Gohar Sub division along with some other sites for conducting pre feasibility report. Deputy Commissioner, Mandi will coordinate with the team. He asked the officers to conduct the survey and expedite the progress so that international airport can come up in Mandi at the earliest.
Meanwhile, a high powered Asian Development Bank team led by Country Director Keninchi Yokoyama met Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here and held discussions for Rs 750 crore second trench proposal under Infrastructure Development Investment Programme for Tourism for ADB funding. The team highly appreciated the efforts of the Tourism department in implementing the phase one and phase two projects under the programme which shall be completed in 2020.
The Chief Minister said that 19 projects were sanctioned under phase one out of which 16 had been completed whereas three will be completed by June 2020. Main projects under these include beautification of Shimla, restoration of Town Hall, parking at Tutikandi (Shimla) for 1000 cars, parking and tourist integrated centre at Chintpurni. Work on 12 projects under phase two is in progress and will be completed by 2020.
Jai Ram Thakur further said that efforts were afoot to send a new proposal worth Rs 1800 crore for ADB funding to promote tourism with an objective of safe, sustainable, economic, eco-friendly tourism habitat supported by improved infrastructure and services.