Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 19 : Helicopter services between Sanjauli and Rampur will commence from October 21, with the service also available between Rampur and Reckong Peo, a state government spokesperson said on Monday.
According to the release, the service will operate three days a week, on Monday, Friday and Saturday, the spokesperson said.
The helicopter will depart from Sanjauli at 9:55 am and arrive at Rampur at 10:30 am. It will then depart from Rampur for Reckong Peo at 10:50 am, reaching its destination at 11:25 am.
For the return journey, the helicopter will depart from Reckong Peo for Rampur at 11:30 am and arrive at 12:05 pm. The flight from Rampur to Sanjauli will depart at 12:10 pm and reach Sanjauli at 12:45 pm.
The initiative aims to strengthen air connectivity and provide convenient transportation facilities to people living in remote and inaccessible areas of the state.
He said Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, during his visit to the Rampur area of Shimla district, interacted with local residents and realised the need to strengthen connectivity for people living in far-flung areas, the release stated.
Keeping in view their difficulties and transportation requirements, the Chief Minister had announced the introduction of helicopter services between Sanjauli and Rampur. On his directions, Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) has requested the commencement of helicopter operations on the Shimla-Rampur route under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) UDAN.
The spokesperson said the proposed service would help ease travel-related difficulties for the people of Rampur by providing an alternative means of reaching Shimla.
Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) UDAN 5.1, routes connecting Shimla, Rampur, Reckong Peo, Kullu, Manali, Mandi and Chandigarh have been awarded to Heritage Aviation and Pawan Hans Limited, he said.
Heritage Aviation is operating RCS flights on the Shimla-Reckong Peo, Shimla-Kullu-Shimla and Chandigarh-Mandi via Kullu routes. Meanwhile, Pawan Hans Limited operates helicopter services between Shimla (Sanjauli) and Chandigarh three days a week under the RCS.
An additional flight is operated once a week under the State Regional Connectivity Scheme, for which the state government bears 100 per cent of the Viability Gap Funding (VGF), amounting to approximately Rs 35.70 lakh per month.
These arrangements ensure air connectivity between Chandigarh and Shimla on all seven days of the week, the spokesperson said.