In a historic development, CM N. Biren Singh officially launched the Imphal-Ukhrul-Imphal Route, Manipur Heli service under the scheme of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
Speaking with this correspondent, Minister Khashim Vashum stated that “Our Hon’ble CM has fixed the fare at Rs. 2500 per head after much consideration and looking at the plight of the people. The frequency of the flight will be once a week, which will be on Saturday. This is on a trial basis under the MHA Scheme.”
The launching program at the Cabinet Hall, Chief Minister’s Secretariat was also attended by Khashim Vashum, Hon’ble Minister of Transport, Veterinary, and Animal Husbandry; Dinganglung Gangmei, Hon’ble Chairperson of the Hill Areas Committee; Leishiyo Keishing, Hon’ble MLA Phungyar AC; Ram Muivah, Hon’ble MLA Ukhrul AC; Md. Ashab Uddin, Hon’ble MLA Jiribam AC; Mayanglambam Rameshwar Singh, Hon’ble MLA Kakching AC; and others.
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The Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul, Kengoo Zuringla; Commander of 10 Sector AR, Somsai; Brigadier Sandeep Singh; SP of Ukhrul, Karthik Malladi; and leaders of Hunphun and Hungpung accorded a warm welcome at the Somsai helipad to Minister Khashim Vashum, MLA Leishiyo Keishing, MLA Ram Muivah, Chipemmi Keishing, Airport Director Michael Achom, Secretary of Transport Nevidita Lairenlakpam, Director of Transport David Elangbam, Joint Secretary of Transport ST Rithung Anal, and Joint Secretary of Transport.
The populace of Ukhrul, while welcoming the development, expressed immense gratitude to CM N. Biren Singh, Minister Khashim Vashum, and MHA for launching the Heli service. Speaking to the media, Shimreingam Zimik stated that “today is a very important day for all of us. Such development under the initiative of CM N. Biren Singh and Transport Minister Khashim Vashum is historic and will surely help the populace of Ukhrul in commuting Ukhrul-Imphal with ease, especially in times of medical emergencies.”
“Thank you, Hon’ble CM N. Biren Singh, and Hon’ble Minister Khashim Vashum for taking the initiative and successfully launching the first helicopter service from Imphal to Ukhrul. While civilian helicopters contribute to improved accessibility, particularly of remote areas like Ukhrul, they also play a key role in facilitating tourism and are of unmatched utility when it comes to emergency medical services, disaster management during floods and rescue operations,” stated Y. Shangrei of Ukhrul District.
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Speaking to this correspondent, Airport Director Chipemmi Keishing informed that “for any flight operation, whether it is fixed-wing or helicopter, there are lots of operational expenditures to be incurred. Expenditures like ATF (Air Turbine Fuel), maintenance costs, insurance, crew salary, and other logistic expenditures.”
“Flight operators will only want to operate in the area after due consideration. The flight operators may cancel the route or operation if the loss incurred is heavy. The Heli service has been launched; people of Ukhrul must utilize the facility to the maximum. With many passenger footfalls, making the Heli service popular will ensure a successful route. Once the route is successful in terms of passenger load and usage, it can be included in the RCS-UDAAN Scheme route by MOCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) in the days to come. Once the route is utilized in the RCS-UDAN connectivity scheme, development of the helipad, helicopter stand, or passenger amenities will automatically start to develop. It is a challenge for the people of Ukhrul,” added Chipemmi Keishing.
Chipemmi Keishing further stated that “also in a flight operation, basically there are two types of flight rules for operation. One is IFR (Instrument Flight Rule), and the other is VFR (Visual Flight Rule). As the name suggests, in IFR, aircraft use instrument aid for operation, whereas in the VFR, it flies on visual aid. All the helicopter flights in Manipur operate on VFR. Which means Heli services can operate when there is clear weather, visibility at departure or destination part, or en-route. So during the rainy season and winter season or during fog conditions and state requirements, frequent cancellation or frequent diversion may also happen. But no matter the situation and condition, let us all cooperate with one another for smooth operation all the time at Ukhrul District.”
Once MOCA approves, automatically there will be a lot of improvement in terms of infrastructure and an increase in the number of flights for Ukhrul District. The success of this service will purely depend on the cooperation and support of the people of Ukhrul District. At present, there are five destinations approved by MOCA under RCS-UDAN Scheme in Manipur, namely Moreh, Jiribam, Tamenglong, Thanlon, and Parbung.
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