Rahul plans upgrade of flying school in UP
New Delhi: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday began giving final touches to a dream project – setting up the country’s first aviation university in Fursatganj that will benefit the Gandhi family pocket boroughs of Rae Bareli and Amethi in UP.
Civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi, who accompanied Rahul to Fursatganj, has proposed to upgrade the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy (IGRUA), a premier pilot training institute at Fursatganj to a fullfledged aviation university. The step is expected to be politically beneficial to the Gandhis and the Congress as the party revs up for Mission UP, in many ways Rahul’s pet project.
The government plans to invest between Rs 150 crore and Rs 200 crore on the project over the next five years, under which the existing runway will be expanded from the current 6,000 ft to 9,000 ft, which will allow larger aircraft to land. This will help in pilot training.
The infrastructure and training facilities will be upgraded to increase the number of trained pilots passing out of the IGRUA once it becomes a university – from the present 125 a year to 500 a year.
The civil aviation ministry plans to set up a helicopter training academy at IGRUA, which will offer commercial helicopter pilot licence (CHPL) and other refresher courses, and an aircraft maintenance facility. Besides, the proposed university will provide training in cargo management, airport management and aeronautical engineering, providing people from the two constituencies training to get jobs in an expanding aviation industry. Fursatganj falls in Rae Bareli, Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s constituency, and is next door to adjoining Amethi, Rahul’s constituency.
The IGRUA has a Management Contract with Global Aviation Giant – Canadian Aviation Electronics, Canada to improve the institution’s standards. The courses currently offered by the academy are ab initio to commercial pilot licence (CPL) course, simulator training, multi engine endorsement, refresher course for chief flying instructors and pilot instructor in charge of flying clubs. It offers pilot training to the Indian Airlines, the Border Security Force, the Coast Guard, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy when such training is requisitioned.
The other organisations which offer helicopter training courses include the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited. The national helicopter company Pawan Hans offers conversion training and refresher courses to pilots. The move to upgrade IGRUA comes ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh early next year and is apparently aimed at improving party’s electoral prospectus. Rahul’s visit to Fursatganj and his trip to Lakhimpur Kheri on Wednesday – to meet the family of the 14-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and killed inside a police station – tie in with the party’s aggressive campaign in Uttar Pradesh.
30/06/11 Ajmer Singh/India Today