The passenger terminal for phase-one of Hisar Airport, inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar last August. The State Government plans to make it an attractive international cargo hub with dedicated custom clearances, says Ashok Sangwan, Director-cum-Special Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department; Adviser, Civil Aviation, Department and Special Secretary to Government of Haryana, in conversation with Gautam Debroy of Elets News Network (ENN).
What initiatives have you taken to improve the Ease of Doing Business in the State?
The Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) is a very important area in which the State Government has worked in association with the industry and other stakeholders.
The State has already been ranked as No. 1 in North India in terms of EoDB ranking. This ranking was released by the Government of India, Department of Industry Policy and Promotion and World Bank together. In the nationwide ranking, we stand at No. 3 after Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
This has been possible only because of concerted efforts which have been made by all the departments in collaboration with the industries.
We have created an institutional mechanism through enactment of a legislation called the Haryana Enterprise Promotional Act, 2016. Under this Act, special provisions have been made to resolve the issue of industries, especially when they are trying for clearances.
In addition to industries, we are also welcoming enterprises who want to start their business. Haryana Enterprises Promotion Centre (HEPC) – a unique Single Roof Clearance System for the benefit of the new units or units under expansion has also been created.
Under this department, a single roof structure has been set up, where more than 70 services are provided to any enterprise which requires clearances from any Government department. It has been the mandate of the Government that enterprise related services must be delivered in a transparent manner in a time-bound framework without any physical touch point. So most of the services are provided online.
Infact, all applications are being received online. We are also providing deemed approval to companies. It is a concept which has been incorporated in the Act and the Rules and till now we have issued more than 50 such approvals. After 45 days of applying for a clearance, if the file is not selected or rejected then automatically the company will get deemed approval.
You’re also holding the portfolio of Civil Aviation in the State Government. Can you brief us about Haryana’s plan for setting up an international airport in Hisar?
The State government has decided to set up an integrated aviation hub in Hisar in an area of 4,200 acres. The proposal is with the Civil Aviation Department and we want to create a hub comprising of an international airport, cargo, Maintenance Repair and Overall (MRO) services of larger aircrafts and all the other facilities that an international hub normally has. It will also include aerospace and defence manufacturing facilities and a proposal for an aviation university is also there. If approved, this hub would be developed in three phases. In phase one, we are going to start operations under Udaan Scheme of the Government of India. The passenger terminal for phase one was inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on 15th August 2018.
For Phase II, we are planning to expand the runway and three big hangers which can accommodate Boeing 737 and Airbus A320s. These hangers and these parking spaces in front of the hangers will be completed in about four months. Here we plan to target the MRO traffic and the parking of such aircrafts which cannot be accomodated at Delhi Airport due to heavy traffic. All the Non Scheduled Operator Permit holders and the aircraft which are crossing the country and need refueling would find it cheaper and faster to use Hisar Airport.
We have already done the meetings with the Ministry of Road and Transport as well as the Ministry of Railways to have high speed connectivity between Hisar and Delhi.
This will provide connectivity to the Hisar Airport especially with Delhi. It will make an attractive international cargo hub with dedicated custom clearances. So in the coming years, Hisar is going to have a huge potential to develop as an international aviation hub for which the State government has already dedicated Rs 120 crores this year itself.
Whenever there is such a huge project that the State Government undertakes, the major consern that comes to mind is for the land acquisition. Do you have any such problems and challenges while implementing these projects?
The State is very fortunate that we got 4,200 acres of land in the beginning of this project. The Civil Aviation department has aggregated that piece of land. Soon, all the other facilities will start falling in place. There are no major issues which would hamper the rolling out of this plan.
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