‘For smooth travel we are also keen to start night flying operations at Srinagar Airport’: Top Govt official
Srinagar, Mar 04: Lieutenant
Governor Manoj Sinha led government Thursday sad that there could be
huge crowd of investors in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir
after April this year.
“Due to Covid
Pandemic the investors could not visit Kashmir valley, but now when the
situation is getting better, we are expecting huge crowd (of investors)
after April,” a top government official told news agency KINS, adding
that the government has been completing all requisite formalities for
the purpose of investments by the end of the current year.
The
official said that thought the global investor’s summit came to a
sudden halt due to COVID-19 pandemic; the government has been making
fresh progress to attract global investment into several sectors in the
union territory.
Sources said that
above 41 companies have shown interest in investing over Rs 15,000 crore
in the region in the form of 61 Expression of Interest (EOIs). “Some of
the sectors that these companies intend to invest in include,
information technology, infrastructure, renewable energy, manufacturing,
hospitality, defence, skills education and tourism,” sources
maintained.
Sources said that that
the divisional commissioner of Jammu, as well as divisional commissioner
of Kashmir, has identified the government land at various places in
Jammu and Kashmir respectively which are being visited by the probable
Investors.
The government officials
said that they are also confident that private players will also come in
the healthcare sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
“All
efforts would be made to bring the big players in the healthcare sector
also in the Union Territory,” the officials said, adding investors from
across the globe are eyeing Jammu and Kashmir as their preferred
investment destination.
It is to be
mentioning here that to revive the business sector and boost investor
confidence with a business-friendly environment, the Jammu and Kashmir
administration has already approved a series of measures for simplifying
business establishment process.
As
per the decision taken by the Administrative Council (AC), the
pre-requisite ‘no objection certificates’ (NoCs) or approvals have been
relaxed for setting up of a business unit.
The
Udyog Aadhaar memorandum as per the condition of the Government of
India would be the only requirement for a business unit to be set up.
Earlier,
as many as 15 NoCs or clearances were required for a business unit to
be established, which have now been reduced to a bare minimum.
These
bare minimum NoCs/approvals shall be required subsequently, for which
two sets of single-window committees have been established one for
business units coming up within industrial estates and another committee
for units outside the industrial estates.
Work
on the installment of Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT II at the
Srinagar International Airport is set to begin with Divisional
Commissioner Kashmir convening a meeting tomorrow with concerned
authorities to make it operational by April this year.
Meanwhile
sources said that to facilitate the visit of top investors, the
government wants night landing at Srinagar International Airport and for
that Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT II at the Srinagar
International Airport is likely to be made operational by April this
year.
“It will allow operation of flights at a minimum visibility of 350-metre,” the official said.
Recently
the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Pandurang K. Pole convened a
meeting with concerned authorities and PMGSY contractors over
installation of Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT II at the Srinagar
International Airport.
The project has been undertaken under the IAF’s “Modernization of Airport Facilities and Infrastructure (MAFI)” scheme.
In
August last year, an IAF representative in the Airport Advisory
Committee had informed the members that “at present ILS CAT I landing
system is operational at the airport, while the work on CAT II will
begin in November 2021.”
Members had laid stress on “need of an improved landing system at the Srinagar Airport”.
The
official said the upgradation of ILS will ensure that flight operations
are undertaken in less visibility especially foggy conditions.
“Currently
the minimum visibility required for operation of flights at the Airport
is 1300-meter but ILS CAT II will drastically reduce the required
visibility,” the official said.
Srinagar
airport is under direct operational control of the Indian Air Force
(IAF), which controls its air traffic and landing strip and also the
facilities of fire-fighting and crash activities, apart from the
airspace. The terminal building, where the passengers check-in and
check-out, and the apron area, where an aircraft is parked are
controlled by the AAI.
The airport witnesses operations of 25-30 commercial flights every day. (KINS)
