To boost and revive airstrips closer to wildlife sanctuaries, tourist destinations or spiritual places the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has identified 54 new destinations for the fifth phase of the scheme.
The government has identified 54 non-operational airstrips which are in close proximity to tourist, wildlife, or religious destinations.
The list also comprises of 10 airstrips in proximity to wildlife sanctuaries such as Yavatmal of Maharashtra, Bishnupur of West Bengal, Sawai Madhopur and Bharatpur of Rajasthan, Mandla of MP and Nagarjuna Sagar of Andhra Pradesh.
Moreover, a total of 29 tourist destinations including Chamba, Sidhi, Panchmahri, Jogbani, Raichur, Hirakund and Kohima are also likely to be proposed for bids.
Religious and spiritual destinations like Konark, Bihar Sharif, Hassan, Dessa and Abu Road will be included in UDAN 5.0.
The ministry of civil aviation launched the regional connectivity scheme Udan in October 2016 to enhance regional air connectivity from unserved and underserved airports in the country.
