IT Correspondent
Mumbai, Oct 27:
Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia virtually flagged off the first direct flight on the Shillong-Dibrugarh route under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – UdeDeshKaAamNaagrik (RCS-UDAN) of the Government of India, on Tuesday.
The Minister of State for Civil Aviation General Dr. V K Singh (Retd.) and Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal, Secretary joined the event. The Joint Civil Aviation Secretary Usha Padhee and other senior officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry were also present at the ceremony held in New Delhi.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, Loksabha MP from Shillong Vincent H Pala, Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Wanweiroy Kharlukhi, Meghalaya Minister of Transport Dasakhiatbha Lamare, Meghalaya PWD Minister Sanbor Shullai also graced the launch event of the Shillong-Dibrugarh flight, an official statement said.
Scindia said that “Shillong is one of the highest and wettest places in the world. The place is important not only for the country but for the entire world. Shillong has always been known as “Scotland of East” due to the presence of rolling hills, caves, tallest waterfalls, beautiful landscapes and its rich heritage and culture. There’s nothing that Meghalaya does not have to offer. The place attracts tourists from all over the world.”
The minister further emphasized that “In 2014, only 6 airports were operational in North East which has now risen to 15 airports in 2021. Within a short span of 7 years, we have achieved this ambitious target. I assure you that this is just the beginning, we are further committed to enhance the interstate and intrastate connectivity of North-East. Apart from promoting flight connectivity, our focus is on developing the infrastructure capabilities along with helicopter services for the last mile delivery. To ensure that we recently launched the Helicopter policy to further promote Heli Services in North-East. We want to the bring the travellers from all over the country to North-East.”
The beautiful city of Shillong is surrounded by hills from all sides. Famous for the presence of many well-reputed educational institutions, Shillong is the hub of education for entire North-East India. Apart from being the beauty and education centre, Shillong also acts as the gateway to Meghalaya, which is famous for heavy rainfall. Shillong is famous for Elephant falls, Shillong Peak, Umiam lake, Sohpetbneng Peak, Don Bosco Museum, Laitlum Canyons.
Moreover, Shillong is the only capital city in North East India to produce two football clubs that participate in the I-League, namely, Royal Wahingdoh FC and ShillongLajong FC. In addition to these, Shillong Golf Course is one of the oldest golf courses in the country.
Due to the non-availability of any direct mode of transportation, people were compelled to cover a long 12-hour journey by road and train to travel between Shillong and Dibrugarh. Now, natives can easily fly between the two cities by opting for a flight of just 75 minutes.
The airline M/s Indigo was awarded the Shillong – Dibrugarh route during the UDAN 4 bidding process. The airlines are being provided Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the UDAN scheme to keep the fares affordable and accessible for the common people. The airline will deploy its 78-seater ATR 72 aircraft.
Till date, 389 routes and 62 airports (including 5 heliports and 2 water aerodromes) have been operationalized under the UDAN scheme. The scheme is envisaged to establish strong aerial connectivity in all States and UTs of the country which hitherto were not connected, laying the foundation of a new regional segment in India’s aviation market.
The flight schedule: Flight No. 6E 7955, Departure from Shillong at 10.20 am, Arrival at Dibrugarh 11,35 am,(frequency 2,4,6). Flight No. 6E 7956, Departure from Dibrugarh at 11.55 am, Arrival at Dibrugarh 1.10 pm (frequency 2,4,6).
