Special Chief Secretary to the Government Karikal Valaven, along with district officials and a technical team, on Tuesday visited the Punnami Ghat and other areas in the catchment of the Krishna to assess the conditions for the proposed setting up of a water aerodrome project.
A water aerodrome is an area of open water used regularly by seaplanes, or amphibious aircraft, for landing and taking off.
Later, talking to the reporters, Krishna district Collector A.Md. Imtiaz, who was part of the team, said the government, in association with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, would create the new facility near the Prakasam Barrage.
He said, besides promoting regional connectivity, the project would provide a major impetus to tourism as the planes would take off from here to tourist hubs such as Papikondalu and Nagarjun Sagar, besides operation of services to places such as Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru.
He said that Mr. Valaven, along with a team of technical experts, had gone around places that were connected to the project, and the government would move forward based on the suggestions of the technical experts.
Andhra Pradesh Airports Development Corporation Ltd. CEO Neena Sharma said the Civil Aviation Ministry would contribute funds to the tune of ₹50 crore and the State government would invest ₹10 crore for the project.
UDAN scheme
The proposal to set up water aerodromes across the country is part of the Centre’s UDAN scheme meant to promote regional connectivity by setting up regional airports.
Andhra Pradesh is one of the five States selected for the first phase of the project, besides Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Assam.
The move is aimed at promoting tourism and connect places of regional importance.
The Centre wants the State governments to take new modes of transportation, including inland waterways, to avoid pollution and related issues arising out of road transport.