Gandhinagar: The state govt informed the assembly on Thursday that a sum of Rs 19.50 crore was spent on the sea plane service between Ahmedabad and Kevadiya. Launched on Oct 31, 2020, this service was suspended in April 2021.
Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar sought to know the reasons why the service was suspended and whether the govt intends to restart the sea plane service. In a written reply, the govt stated that the Covid-19 pandemic and “operational reasons of the service operator” were the reasons for the suspension. The govt mentioned its intention to restart the service.
In another question regarding when the Morbi airstrip will be operational, minister Balvantsinh Rajput replied during question hour that the state govt will provide land, while the Union govt will implement the project. He explained that in Phase 1, construction of the runway, taxiway and land acquisition will be completed. In the second phase, construction of the terminal building, administrative building, ATC tower and electric room will be undertaken.
In response to another question on proposed Ahmedabad-Porbandar air connectivity, the state govt said in a written reply that under the regional connectivity scheme, selecting an operator is done by the Union govt, and the state govt has no role to play.