Choppers to give boost to Mizoram tourism, governance

AIZAWL - Mizoram will introduce helicopter services in the mountainous northeastern state to not only take the administration into remote areas but also to boost tourism, officials said here Tuesday.

“Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla held a meeting last week with the top official of state-owned helicopter services company Pawan Hans. Another meeting between officials of the state government and Pawan Hans would be held to finalise the details of the chopper services,” a senior Mizoram transport department official told IANS.

“The proposed helicopter services, with subsidised fare, can be used by tourists to visit tourist spots in the picturesque state. Ministers and officials would also be able to make visits to far-flung areas for administrative purposes.”

The government-owned Pawan Hans has been operating for the past nine years in the interior areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim with the central government subsidising fares by 75 percent.

The union tourism ministry in association with state governments has decided to introduce ‘heli-tourism’ in the northeastern states by extending chopper services.

“To promote rural tourism, helicopter services would be operated in select tourism spots in northeastern states,” said Madhusudhan Bhattacharjee, managing director of Tripura Tourism Development Corp.

Bhattacharjee told IANS: “The union tourism ministry is scrutinising the ‘heli-tourism’ proposals received from the state governments of the region.”