New Delhi: Aviation Minister's Assurance Brightens Hopes of Mangalore Airport Cause

Exclusive from Rons Bantwal in DELHI for Daijiworld News Network
New Delhi, Sep 21: As the efforts towards the early upgradation of the Mangalore Aiport are picking up momentum, Indian aviation minister Praful Patel's assurance on Monday gives brighter chances to Mangalore airport in soon rising to international standards.
Rajesh Sequeira, who has taken the initiative by bringing together leading Karnataka NRI community leaders from Dubai made an exclusive trip to Delhi to meet the minister, with the help of Grace Pinto of Ryan Internations School and daijiworld.com Mumbai chief of bureau Rons Bantwal on September 20, 2005.
Rajesh has briefed the need and efforts taken by the NRI community. He has also informed Minsister about the assurances given by other national leaders.
The minister's assurance has given a bright ray of hope, and he has stated that he sees no hurdles in fulfilling the dream of Mangaloreans the world over.
"Mangalore region has been a place of rich natural resources, inhabited by kind-hearted people, who have to their credit a large contribution towards national development. Their contribution to the field of education has been tremendous. The people of the region have been living in absolute harmony and with their quality of working shoulder to shoulder towards all-round progress, they have the need of travelling regularly. Our attention has been drawn by several organizations like the Jaya Shri Krishna Parisara Seva Samiti and accordingly steps have been taken for immediate action towards the upgradatioon of the airport. The night-landing facilities are being installed, paving the way to make it an international airport."
This was the clear assurance given by union civil aviation minister Praful Patel to a delegation that met him with a memorandum in this regard, in the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan in the national capital here.
Ryan Schools International's director Grace Pinto, hailing originally from Bajpe, where the Mangalore airport lies, NRI Forum Karnataka's coordinator in UAE Rajesh Sequeira, Jaya Shri Krishna Parisara Samiti general secretary Rons Bantwal and others were in the delegation.
The minister's attention was also drawn to the efforts being made by daijiworld.com, which is enjoying the status of being one of India's topmost websites by conveying news and information to Mangaloreans all over the world so rapidly, towards the cause of the airport. A special mention was made about the personal dedication and enthusiasm shown by the present director of the Mangalore airport, M R Vasudeva.
Many Kannadigas, when contacted to react, have expressed joy over this momentous meeting and said they were grateful to public-spirited individuals like educationist Grace Pinto, journalist Rons Bantwal, aviation maintenance specialist Rajesh Sequeira, Jaya Shri Krishna Parisara Seva Samiti, NRI Forum Karnataka, UAE and daijiworld.com for their incessant efforts towards realizing this long-standing dream.