Punjab government okays proposal for pilot training centers

Chandigarh, May 10 (UNI) The Punjab Government today gave the green signal to a proposal for setting up world class aviation pilot training centres in the state.

This decision was taken here today following a meeting between the state Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and representatives of the Canadian based Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) led by their Indian unit president, Harvinder Singh.

The Chief Minister was keen that the state must not miss the aviation boom the way it had missed the IT and BT ones. He has asked the state government officials to invite leading flying schools in the world to set up their training centers in the state.

The system of open bidding would be followed to get the best service providers.

The meeting centered around discussions on expanding the facility to impart training to the Punjabi youth so that they could take up commercial flying as their profession. Mr Badal pointed out that with the expansion of air and cargo services, India had a tremendous potential to utilise the services of these trained commercial pilots.

Mr Badal said the state government would come out with the tender within a month inviting reputed flying academies or institutes to run the existing flying clubs at Patiala and Ludhiana in the first phase and Amritsar in the second phase under private-public partnership mode.

Mr Harvinder Singh who is presently running a flying club at his native village Jassowal in district Ludhiana requested the Chief Minister to allow him to expand the club to cater to the growing demand of training pilots for commercial purposes.

Prominent amongst others who attended the meeting included Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Media Advisor to Chief Minister Harcharan Bains, Chief Secretary R I Singh and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister D S Guru.

UNI