28 Feb :Sikkim’s first airport at Pakyong in East district would be the key to the state’s development as it would be connected to the rest of the country by air, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.
The Minister said on Saturday that the Rs 310-crore greenfield project would address the problem of air connectivity after it starts functioning around July 2011.
Better air connectivity would also increase the flow of tourists, he said after performing ‘bhumi puja’ at Pakyong.Industry would also get a fillip as agricultural, horticultural and handicraft products of the state could be transported to places outside Sikkim, Patel said.
Governor B P Singh, who was also present, said that the project would bring a qualitative improvement in the lives of the local people."It would end the feeling of isolation among the people of Sikkim," he said.