Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Monday.
The Chief Minister apprised her of the financial situation of Himachal Pradesh and urged the Centre to increase the state's borrowing limit of the state. He informed her about the massive losses incurred due to the recent heavy rains and flash floods across the state and sought financial assistance from the Centre.
The Chief Minister also met Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu in New Delhi and held detailed discussions on strengthening air connectivity in the state.
He requested the Union Minister to ensure daily operations of the Delhi–Shimla–Dharamshala and Dharamshala–Shimla–Delhi flights, pointing out that at present, these operate only three days a week, causing inconvenience to tourists. He also requested the commencement of night landing facilities at Dharamshala airport.
Sukhu further briefed the Union Minister on the status of the Kangra airport expansion and sought special assistance for the high-cost land acquisition process. He mentioned that this issue had also been raised with the Prime Minister during an earlier meeting and requested continued support from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, emphasising that this would accelerate region’s development.
Discussions were also held regarding the expansion of Shimla airport. The Chief Minister urged the Union Minister to extend the operational watch hours beyond 1 pm at Shimla airport and also proposed the operation of Dornier-type aircraft at Shimla, following the example of the northeastern states. He emphasised the need to encourage additional operators to start flight services to Shimla.
Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister Ram Subhag Singh, Principal Resident Commissioner Sushil Kumar Singla and senior officers of the Ministry of Civil Aviation were also present during the meeting.
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