India preparing comprehensive aviation plan for 2035: Prabhu
Kolkata, July 7 : Terming the creation of infrastructure a big challenge, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday said India will need at least 1,000 planes in the next few years as it prepares a comprehensive and integrated plan for 2035 to boost the sector.
"To create infrastructure for aviation is a big challenge and we, therefore, are preparing a comprehensive and integrated plan for 2035.... Aviation is one of the sectors that can play a leadership role in the world," Prabhu said at an event organised by CII here.
Delivering the Suresh Neotia Memorial Lecture on "Future of World Trade in Rising Clamour for Protectionism", Prabhu said the government was also preparing a cargo policy that has a tremendous growth potential.
"Separately, we are preparing a cargo policy as it has a huge potential to grow with the growing need to transport cargo from one place to another. Cargo flights can move at night with the policy coming in," he said.
The minister stated that the country's aviation sector would log the highest continuous growth in the next few years, with technology and land being the key factors.
"We need to create infrastructure on the ground to make flying successful. Procuring land for infrastructure projects is a challenge in India and land is going to be the driving force for many development projects in India.
"Technology is going to play a big and key role," he said.
He said India was also preparing a plan for manufacturing planes in the country.
"We need al least 1,000 planes in the next few years and don't want to import them. We are separately preparing a plan for manufacturing these planes in India," he said.
Another plan was afoot for making drones. "Drones will now play an important role and drones itself is a trillion dollar market. For which we are preparing a plan."
Pointing out that a million jobs would be created in the aviation sector, the Minister said: "We need skilled man power and we are working on a skilled development programme."
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
