<p style=”margin-bottom: 13px; text-align: center;”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>Source – Indian express</span></span></b></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom: 13px; text-align: center;”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>GS Paper – 3</span></span></b></span></span></span></p>
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<p style=”margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>Context – </span></span></b><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>The first of the five seaplane services in Gujarat, connecting the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity in Kevadia in Narmada district, <strong><span style=”border:none windowtext 1.0pt; font-family:"Cambria","serif"; padding:0in”>will be inaugurated on October 31</span></strong>, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>HIGHLIGHTS </span></span></b></span></span></span></p>
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<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”> first 14-seater amphibian flight</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”> It is approximately 90 km from Vadodara, 150 km from Surat, and 200 km from Ahmedabad — with an aerial distance of 74.6km from Vadodara airport.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>Construction of the terminals at both ends is almost complete with prefabricated structures and a complete glass façade</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>It is part of a directive of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>As per the directive, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) requested state governments of Gujarat, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana and the administration of Andaman & Nicobar to propose potential locations for setting up water aerodromes to boost the tourism sector.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>A seaplane is a fixed-winged airplane designed for taking off and landing on water. It offers the public the speed of an airplane with the utility of a boat.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-bottom:13px; margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>There are two main types of seaplane: flying boats (often called hull seaplanes) and floatplanes. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<p style=”margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>Impact on the environment </span></span></b></span></span></span></p>
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<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>The water aerodrome is not a listed project/activity in the Schedule to the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, and its amendments.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>In Narmada, the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is located at an approximate aerial distance of 2.1 km from the proposed project site in the south-west direction</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>During seaplane operations, there will be turbulence created in the water while takeoff and landing of seaplanes. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>This will lead to more operation processes i.e. mixing of oxygen in the water. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-bottom:13px; margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>This will have a positive impact on the aquatic ecosystem near seaplane operations increasing oxygen content and decreasing carbon content in this system.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
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