Dehradun, April 30 -- Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu on Tuesday in New Delhi and urged him to start direct domestic air route services connecting Dehradun with Haldwani, Pantnagar and Nagpur in Maharashtra. He also requested commencement of international air services from Jollygrant Airport (Dehradun). According to officials aware of the matter , detailed discussions were held on the development of aviation sector in the state, improvement in air connectivity, and promotion of tourism in Uttarakhand during the meeting. Dhami said Naidu assured positive action on all the proposals and issues raised by him . The chief minister informed the Union minister that a total of 524.78 acres of land was transferred by the Uttarakhand government to the Airports Authority of India to increase the runway length at Pantnagar airport from 1,372 meters to 3,000 meters. The master plan of Pantnagar Airport has been prepared by the Airports Authority of India. He requested the Union minister to direct the Airports Authority of India to start the work immediately. The chief minister requested the Union minister to expand the Jolly Grant Airport and extend night operations till midnight. "This step of the government will enable more passengers to benefit from air services", he said. The chief minister said that under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, he requested the Union minister to start regular air service from Naini Saini Airport (Pithoragarh) to Indira Gandhi International Airport (New Delhi) . "This will benefit the local people. Also, starting air service from Pithoragarh to Dharchula and Pithoragarh to Munsyari will greatly facilitate the local people in commuting", he said. Dhami said that in view of conducting night operations at Naini Saini Airport, the time extension of the airport should be increased for passengers. Pithoragarh is a remote district of Uttarakhand, where air connectivity will benefit locals he said, and added,"Pithoragarh district is also very sensitive from the security point of view as it borders Tibet (China) and Nepal", he said. He said he also requested the Union minister to start direct air services for Dehradun-Haldwani, Dehradun-Pantnagar and Dehradun-Nagpur and international air services from Jollygrant Airport (Dehradun). The chief minister also requested that services begin at Chinyalisaur and Gauchar airstrips....