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Delhi, Mumbai airports to become world class: Praful Patel

     New Delhi: Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel, has said that the airports at Delhi and Mumbai will become world class by March 2010. Stressing on the need to build the entire business of travel and tourism sector of the country in a 'very very' different way, Patel, who was delivering the 21st Som Nath Chib Memorial Lecture on "Civil aviation-Indian tourism" in capital the said: "The genesis of travel and tourism business of our country should begin at home. The entire business of travel and tourism has to be built up in a very very different way." "Like our predecessor, I will also say that our government is shinning. It is the time India is shinning. That shine cannot be permanent unless we keep on polishing it. That is the real challenge and that is the real effort. For that we have to take things forward, " Patel added.

    Expressing satisfaction at the growth in the civil aviation sector, Patel said he expected a growth rate in the sector to be above 30 per cent in the days to come. He also stressed on the need for a holistic appraisal of the civil aviation, travel and tourism business in the country. "We have to see the civil aviation, travel and tourism industry very holistically. If we analyse data in December, 2004 and December, 2005 and January, 2005 and January, 2006 we will get that the rise in figure in aviation even in the domestic part is 31 per cent in December and 40 per cent in January. On the year to year basis we are saying 25 per cent, but if this trend continues we will well above 30 per cent. And I have no reason to believe why should we not been able to achieve it," he added. Expressing serious concern over the unemployment scenario of the country, the minister also said that the civil aviation industry has the capacity to generate maximum employment opportunity in the country. "This industry can generate maximum employment at the least capital expenditure," Patel said.

     On modernisation of airports, the minister announced that Delhi and Mumbai airports will become world class airports by March, 2010. In his speech, the minister further informed that the Centre has chosen 35 airports for upgradation. "We have taken a meaningful step forward. It has been late, but definitely a step in the right direction. It is a commitment and we will make sure that it happens. Mumbai and Delhi airports will become world class airports no later than the March, 2010. I again repeat that Mumbai and Delhi are not the end of the world as far as India is concerned. Fifty five per cent of all air traffic, even today, still centred around Mumbai and Delhi. It is absolutely wrong. It cannot be sustainable. A country as big as India must have equitable growth all across. That is why we have chosen another 35 airports for upgradation on a scale which is both in international and world standard," he said. "We have to scale up the airports according to the geography of the country, commercial importance of places, tourism importance of certain places and scale the airports in a way which really in future can also compete with best of the airports not only in India, but also across the world. That is why we are going by international design competitions, we are going by modular concepts and thus the 35 airports will also contribute in a way to the overall development of the country," he added. In his speech, the minister also termed the civil aviation a backbone of development of a country.
-Feb 24,  2006

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