Insta
Moving Beyond Airports: Uttarakhand Government Looks To Seaplanes To Boost Tourism In Tehri
Swarajya Staff
Dec 27, 2018, 06:05 PM | Updated 06:05 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Uttarakhand cabinet, in a bid to attract domestic and foreign tourists, gave its approval to seaplane operations in Tehri lake on Wednesday (26 December), Times of India has reported.
The state government will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Airport Authority of India and the central government to construct a seaplane landing space on the lake.
A seaplane can land on a water body as well as land and would cost near about Rs 15 crore. The state cabinet had earlier reduced the Value Added Tax (VAT) on seaplane fuel from 20 per cent to just one per cent.
Urban Development Minister and state government spokesperson Madan Kaushik said that if everything goes as planned, the first seaplane will land on Tehri lake by next year.
According to the report, tourists will be ferried in a 12 to 20 seater airplane from the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun to Tehri lake. The charge for the journey will be Rs 5,000 per head.
“The Uttarakhand cabinet has approved a proposal sent by the Centre to land a seaplane at Tehri Lake. The project is part of Centre’s Udan scheme,” Kaushik was quoted in the report as saying.
As per the report, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had earlier this year emphasised on the state’s huge potential for seaplanes as mode of transport due to water bodies like Tehri lake and Nainital lake.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Introducing ElectionsHQ + 50 Ground Reports Project
The 2024 elections might seem easy to guess, but there are some important questions that shouldn't be missed.
Do freebies still sway voters? Do people prioritise infrastructure when voting? How will Punjab vote?
The answers to these questions provide great insights into where we, as a country, are headed in the years to come.
Swarajya is starting a project with an aim to do 50 solid ground stories and a smart commentary service on WhatsApp, a one-of-a-kind. We'd love your support during this election season.
Click below to contribute.