Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh lays foundation for National Institute of Paragliding

Virbhadra Singh(left) at the event

The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Mr. Virbhadra Singh on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the setting up off the National Institute of Paragliding and Aero Sports in the Bir Billing district. The Institute, which will be the first of its kind, will seek to provide greater opportunities to the locals and also make the area a major tourist attraction. It will come at a cost of about Rs. Nine crores and the Chief Minister hoped that it will provide a base for more Paragliding and Aero Sports competitions.

The Chief Minister, while presiding over the official closing ceremony of week-long Paragliding World Cup organised by Bir-Billing Paragliding Association (BPA) and Airport Authority of India (AAI) at Bir-Billing in district Kangra also expressed keenness to create more opportunities for the locals.

He also reiterated that the 18-hole Golf course at Bir will be completed soon. The project work has already been completed.

Also present at the laying of the Foundation stone ceremony was Mr. Kishori Lal, MLA; Mr. Sudhir Sharma, Minister Urban Development, Town and Country Planning, HP and Mr. R K Srivastava, Chairman Airport Authority of India.

The Chief Minister also announced renaming of Chogan-Kyor road in Bir as Pandit Sant Ram Marg.

The CM also said that Bir was now considered one of the world’s best Paragliding sites after the sport began in a small way back in the early 1980s. He also said that more facilities would be provided to the paragliders and he also welcomed foreign nationals who participated in the event.

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