India’s new regional connectivity scheme UDAN 4.2 will push for the popularity of small aircraft for last mile connectivity to smaller towns, and some of these could connect even wildlife areas boosting tourism in the region, Union Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, said on Thursday.
According to him, of the bid for 184 routes, 16 are helicopter routes, 50 are sea plane routes and around 118 are small aircraft routes targeting aircraft that are sub-20 seaters.
“The new routes under UDAN 4.2 look to promote sub 20-seaters, helicopters and so on. We are hopeful that we will see some connectivity right into the wildlife areas.... something like the Masai Mara (Kenya). I am not saying it will happen immediately. But, we are cogitating on these lines,” Scindia said.
Necessary steps have been taken across airports that include sound guns, blow horns, bird dispellers among others.
Wildlife conservation
According to Scindia, some 14-16 cheetahs are expected to be translocated over the next few months. This would be the second phase of the project where the cheetahs would be brought in from South Africa and reintroduced in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno Palpur National Park.
Under the first phase of Project Cheetah, eight of these big cats were airlifted from Naminia and flown into India’s Madhya Pradesh.
“There has been a distinct focus on wildlife conservation and protection over the last nine years and these have been reflected in increased number across categories like Asiatic lions, tigers, leopards, and so on,” he said.
For instance, there has been a 33 per cent increase in the tiger population over the last nine years (2014-present), a 60 per cent rise in the leopard population, a 20 per cent increase in the number of elephants and so on.
Putting in place a vulture conservation plan, across States, to maintain ecological balance – have been among the successful policy interventions of the Narendra Modi-led government, he said.
Moreover, there has been a distinct focus on promoting animal passage corridors and migratory bird passages, he said.