Letter written upon receiving information that Bilaspur has not been included in the UDAN-5 scheme by the central government
An amount of 45 crore rupees has been spent from the state budget for the purpose of initiating regular air services at Bilaspur Airport, including the construction of a terminal building, expansion of the runway, and provision of security equipment
Raipur, 11 June 2023/ Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel has written a letter to the Civil Aviation Minister, Government of India, Mr. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, requesting him to take prompt action to add Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur city to the UDAN-5 scheme, to enable people of the city to travel to other parts of the country and boost the economic development of the region.
The Chief Minister has written in the letter that he has received information that the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has not included Bilaspur city in the UDAN – 5 scheme. The people of Bilaspur Zone are disappointed because of this decision by the Central Government. Mr. Baghel has mentioned in the letter that Bilaspur is the second-most important city in the state. Moreover, the location of the High Court of the state in Bilaspur necessitates regular air service facilities here.
The Chief Minister has also written in the letter that the state government, in consultation with the D.G.C.A. and the Union Ministry of Aviation, had spent 45 crore from the state budget to ensure arrangements for terminal building, runway expansion, arrangement of security equipment, etc. for starting regular air service at Bilaspur Airport.
Because of the consistent efforts of the state government, Bilaspur was connected to the country’s air link, and services were started from the city to Jabalpur, New Delhi, Prayagraj, Indore, etc. The number of passengers on all the flights arriving to and departing from Bilaspur was promising. However, later, for unknown reasons, the flight service to Indore was stopped.
In the letter, Chief Minister Mr. Baghel has requested the Civil Aviation Minister Mr. Scindia to take immediate action to add Bilaspur city to the UDAN-5 scheme so that people of the region can travel to other parts of the country, contributing to the economic development of the region as well.
