10-15 airports to be activated next year: Gajapathi Raju

Kumbakonam (TN), Aug 20 (PTI) Government was keen onregional connectivity and as part of its plan, 10-15 airportswould be activated by the next year, Civil Aviation Minister PAshok Gajapathi Raju today said. "The work on regional connectivity is in progress. Wehave developed a scheme for regional connectivity. There are31 or 32 unconnected airports and we are planning to activatesome of them and 10 or 15 airports may be activated by nextyear," he told reporters here. Raju, who arrived here enroute to nearby Marugur to visitthe ‘samadhi’ of a freedom fighter, said the country wasrecording the fastest growth in the civil aviation sector inthe world. On cargo operations, he said there was good potential butthe problem was several rates of taxes on fuel in differentstates. "The major operational cost 45 per cent is fuel and taxproblem is there. I have written addressing this to ChiefMinisters of all the states," he said. Highlighting various welfare schemes and initiatives ofthe NDA government, he said there was no corruption and scamsin this regime. He said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would lower themanufacturing cost and help consumers. PTI COR VSSMNMVV