THE ADVENTURE IS STILL AWAITED: Air & water planes, buses yet to fly & float for Goa’s tourists

VIBHA VERMA

vibha@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: The nine-seater Cessna seaplane for the first time took off from Dabolim airport to Coco beach as it passed through River Mandovi, Miramar and Chapora River on May 23, 2015. The government’s dream project had nearly come true until the operator ran into financial crisis. Over two years down the line, its commercial operations have failed to take off also because it still hunts for pilots having experience of 500 flying hours while also ensuring economical viability operations.

While Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s (GTDC) is consistently pursuing with the State government to relax the flying hours in a bid to re-start the venture, two other much-hyped adventure activities are too hanging in the balance. The amphibian aircraft trip continues to await central notification on commercial operations and the helicopter joyride that was entangled in political controversy soon after it launched early last year, have no helipads.

Maritime Energy Heli AIR Services Pvt Ltd (MEHAIR) which had signed a MoU with the GTDC alleged withdrew from the project citing financial crisis. Cabral, confirming the development, stated that the GTDC then re-floated a tender and appointed another operator. But with no pilots complying with the condition of flying a seaplane for 500 hours in India, and foreign-based pilots demanding a monthly salary of Rs 3.50 lakh have come as a major obstruction.

It is learnt that the pilot and co-pilot hired by MEHER expressed their inability to continue. “As per the rules, a pilot should complete 500 flying hours and co-pilot around 125 hours, but in India it is not possible because we didn’t have seaplane. Those whom we wanted to hire are demanding salaries of Rs 3.5 lakh a month. Therefore, we have sought relaxation in timing,” he said.

Meanwhile the water and road worthy hybrid buses, called the “Amphibian buses” are ready to operate but there is no central notification for its commercial operations on public road and water. 

We are pursuing with the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways and are hopeful for a quick response,” GTDC Chairman Nilesh Cabral said claiming that union minister Nitin Gadkari is “fascinated” by the adventure tourism activity and intends to start in his state. 

Its soft-launch was in May 2015, followed by another official launch in October 2016 but it remains idle since then. Former Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar had declared that the 33-seater passenger bus will give tourists a thrilling experience in the inland waterways, with tours to the backwaters, crocodile dandies, bird watching trips and more. Manufactured in Goa by Amphibious Design India in association with ACGL Pvt Ltd, the vessel - fitted with US technology - would have covered over seven routes across five talukas.

The government looked at heli-tourism that would have fetched good revenue and invited high end tourists, but was helpless when the project found itself in political debate. After a soft launch on January 26, 2016, the GTDC and Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited faced resistance from villagers of Candolim forcing the government to keep the project from helipad at Aguada Fort on hold temporarily. The GTDC then shifted helicopter rides to South Goa and used a helipad of a starred hotel for the rest of the season but could not resume the service for 2016-17 tourism season. It proved to be uneconomical as tourists had to be ferried to South Goa which has lesser concentration of domestic tourists.

The aerial chopper joyride is now awaiting a controversy-free helipad with Cabral asserting that two places at Ela and Vagator being considered. “Pawan Hans is ready to operate but we are trying to close in on the helipads. Two places at Dhauji in Ela and Vagator are identified. The Vagator venue is however encroached upon by a third party, which is being sorted out,” he revealed.

Another sporting activity - All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) trail project is also reportedly awaiting to get MRTH permission to zoom about on the tough off-road trails in the interiors of Arpora.