RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has written a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, requesting him to provide flight connectivity from Bilaspur to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.
He also thanked Puri for restarting air services at Jagdalpur in Bastar district, which were discontinued in 2018 after being operational for about four months, a public relations department official said.
Bilaspur is a major hub of trade and commerce in the northern region of Chhattisgarh and a key centre of power production, Baghel said in the letter on Tuesday.
"It is also known as Nyaydhani (law capital) of the state. Besides, there are many industrial areas near Bilaspur, which have important contribution to the economy," he said.
If Bilaspur is connected to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata via flight services, it will not only enhance regional air connectivity but would also boost economy, trade, commerce, tourism and health services, he said.
Notably, the Centre had given permission for upgradation of three airports - Jagdalpur, Ambikapur and Bilaspur - in Chhattisgarh under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik).
As part of the scheme, Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, on Monday launched its flight services from Jagdalpur's Maa Danteshwari Airport to Raipur and Hyderabad.
During the inaugural flight on Monday, Union minister Puri in a recorded video message said his ministry has granted permission to Alliance Air to operate flights under UDAN 4.0 from Bilaspur to Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).