Bhubaneswar: A delegation of MPs from the state, including Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, called on Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu in New Delhi Thursday over demands to expand and improve airport connectivity, passenger facilities and strengthen communication infrastructure in the state. The delegation held discussions with the Civil Aviation minister on the construction of a new terminal building at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here, second phase renovation of Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda, establishment of a new airport in Puri and the conversion of Cuttack Charbatia into a full-fledged civil airport. The MPs also sought the minister’s intervention for the expansion of Rourkela and Jeypore airstrips, and the renovation of Balangir’s Tusura airstrip, a release said.
The MPs urged the inclusion of Birasal in Dhenkanal, Hirakud in Sambalpur, Rangeilunda in Ganjam, Paradip in Jagatsinghpur, Utakela in Kalahandi, Kalinganagar in Jajpur, Raisuan in Keonjhar, Padampur in Bargarh district, Rasagobindpur and Rairungpur airports in Mayurbhanj district in the ‘UDAN’ Yojana. The lawmakers told the minister that Odisha can bring about a revolution in the field of air communication in the “Purvodaya” mission and create a new identity nationally and internationally in terms of employment opportunities, tourism and trade.
In a letter submitted to the minister, the MPs said sanctioning of a new domestic terminal building-3 at the BPIA will help solve the problems posed by the increasing air traffic and number of domestic and international passengers at the airport. That will also result in the increase of the demand for the airport in eastern India, they said.
The renovation of Veer Surendra Sai Airport Phase-II has become essential for passenger traffic in the industrial city of Jharsuguda. Also, the Charbatia Airfield in Cuttack, serving as an aviation research center, will serve public interest. “These initiatives will help Odisha’s industrial development as the state’s major industrial and commercial hub Angul, the steel hub of Killingnagar and the country’s largest port Paradip are close to the Capital Region Ring Road in and around Bhubaneswar,” they pointed out. They said the establishment of an airport in Puri will help lakhs of tourists and pilgrims coming from other states and abroad to get direct and uninterrupted air services.
Similarly, the expansion and renovation of other airports can bring a big revolutionary change in the field of air communication in the development of Odisha as part of the Prime Minister’s “Purvodaya” mission.