Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new integrated terminal building of Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair today (July 18). Port Blair’s new terminal building is expected to increase ease of travel, ease of doing business and connectivity.
Inaugurated via video conferencing, the terminal building has been buildt with a construction cost of around Rs 710 crores, which is capable of handling about 50 lakh passengers annually. PM Modi said that even though today’s program is taking place in Port Blair, the entire nation is keenly looking towards the Union Territory as the demand for increasing the passenger handling capacity of Veer Savarkar International Airport is being fulfilled.
PM Modi also expressed his desire to be present on the occasion as he could experience the joyous environment and happy faces of the citizens. He informed that till now the existing terminal had the capacity to handle 4000 tourists, and the new terminal has taken this number to 11,000 and 10 planes can be parked at any given time on the airport now.
PM Modi said, now more flights and tourists will bring more jobs to the area. “The scope of development has been limited to big cities for a long time in India and the Adivasi and island regions of the country had been devoid of development for a long time, but now things are changing fast”, said the PM.
He said that in the last 9 years, the present government has not only rectified the mistakes of the governments of the past with utmost sensitivity but has also come up with a new system. “A new model of development of inclusion has come up in India. The model is of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, PM Modi said. He explained that this model of development is very comprehensive and includes the development of every region and every section of society, and every aspect of life such as education, health and connectivity.
PM Modi said, in last 9 years, a new story of development has been written in Andaman. In the 9 years of the previous government Andaman and Nicobar received a budget of Rs 23,000 crores, whereas in the last nine years of the present government, a budget of about Rs 48,000 crores was allocated for Andaman and Nicobar.
Similarly, during the 9 years of the previous government, 28,000 households were connected with piped water, this number in the last 9 years is 50,000. Now, everyone in Andaman and Nicobar has a bank account and the facility of One Nation One Ration Card.
This expansion of facilities is giving momentum to tourism here. Mobile connectivity, health infrastructure, airport facilities and roads promote the arrival of tourists. Tourist footfall has doubled as compared to 2014. Adventure tourism is also thriving and the numbers will rise manifold in the coming years.
“Andaman is becoming a living and breathing example of the maha-mantra of development and heritage going hand in hand”, the Prime Minister remarked. He noted that even though the Tiranga was hoisted in Andaman way before it was hoisted in the Red Fort, one could only find signs of slavery on the island.
Enhancing connectivity infrastructure has been a major focus of the government. The inauguration of the New Integrated Terminal Building, built at a cost of around Rs 710 crores, will play a key role in boosting connectivity of the island UT.
With a total built-up area of around 40,800 sqm., the new terminal building will be capable of handling about 50 lakh passengers annually. An Apron suitable for two Boeing-767-400 and two Airbus-321 types of aircraft has also been constructed at Port Blair Airport at a cost of Rs 80 Crores, making the airport now suitable for parking ten aircraft at a time.
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