Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said that the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), while expanding the runways of the airports, should develop helipads in every taluka as it can be used for medical assistance in future.
He also asked the MADC to explore an option of starting seaplanes for promoting tourism in Gosikhurd and Koyana dams and also in the Konkan region.
Shinde was speaking at the 81st Board of Directors meeting of MADC.
The airports of Amravati, Shirdi, Gondia, Ratnagiri and Solapur
"A helipad should be constructed at every tehsil and the location for the same be fixed soon. The helipad can also be used for medical assistance to airlift critical patients,’’ said Shinde. The airports of Amravati, Shirdi, Gondia, Ratnagiri and Solapur were discussed at the meeting.
There are a total of 15 airports and 28 airstrips in the state. Airports in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad are being used to their full capacity and the proposal to create a night landing facility at Shirdi Airport has been sent to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said the MADC vice chairman and managing director Deepak Kapoor.