Mumbai, Mar 18 (IANS): For the first time, the picturesque coastal Konkan region of Maharashtra will be on the country's air map with the development of an airport in Sindhudurg.

Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan said the new airport will come up at Chipi-Parule in Sindhudurg district, around 400 km south of Mumbai.

Besides, two more airports are scheduled to come up in Boramani in Solapur and Shirdi in Ahmednagar district.

The necessary formalities for construction of these airports - through public-private participation, are underway, he said while addressing a joint sitting of the state legislature on the opening day of the budget session here Thursday afternoon.

In addition to the new airports, work on expanding the airports at Belora in Amravati, Ozar in Nashik and Jalgaon is in full swing.

The Konkan region is also being exploited to develop the maritime industry through private participation, Sankaranarayanan said.

The port at Dhamankhol Bay was made operational in August last year while work to construct a shipyard at Usgaon in Dabhol Creek of Ratnagiri district, around 200 km from Mumbai, has already commenced, he said.

These projects are expected to give a fillip to the progress and development of the Konkan - often described as god's own country of Maharashtra - and boost tourism in the region.