ODISHA CHIEF MINISTER MEETS THE UNION CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER

ODISHA CHIEF MINISTER MEETS THE UNION CIVIL AVIATION

MINISTER.

Bhubaneswar : Hon’ble Chief Minister, Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik today met the

Hon’ble Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Ajit Singh, in New Delhi.

Hon’ble Chief Minister, Odisha informed the Hon’ble Union Minister for

Civil Aviation that Odisha does not have adequate air connectivity which acts as

a major impediment to the industrialisation process and the growth of tourist

traffic in the State. He mentioned that the State does not have even a single

International Airport and is managing with only one operational Domestic Airport

at Bhubaneswar. The Chief Minister highlighted that the State has witnessed a

significant spurt in investment in various industrial sectors and offers incredible

tourist destinations including the World Heritage Monument, the Sun Temple

Konark, the world famous Shri Jagannath Temple at Puri, many beautiful

beaches and the largest Brackish water Lake, Chilka. He, accordingly, stressed

upon the urgent need to scale up infrastructural support to the Aviation Sector in

the State, both from the equity standpoint and the development perspective.

The Chief Minister requested the Union Minister to declare Biju Patnaik

Airport as an International Airport at the earliest and provide the required facilities

including an International Terminal with 24X7 ATC operations, customs and

immigration facilities and security, etc. He asserted that the Ministry of Civil

Aviation may accord early clearance to those Airlines which are interested

operate International flights to and from Bhubaneswar. He also requested the

Union Minister for providing necessary infrastructural support to the Jharsuguda

Airport for enabling Domestic Airlines to operate from there. Hon’ble Chief

Minister stated that the Airport Authority of India may also have a closer look at

the other existing Airports in Odisha and provide the required infrastructural

support to make the feasible Airports operational for Domestic Airlines. This, he

stated, would improve the air connectivity within the State. The Chief Minister

assured that the State will provide all necessary support to the Ministry of Civil

Aviation/ Airport Authority of India in their task of upgrading Bhubaneswar Airport

to an International Airport and in making other Domestic Airports in the State

operational.

The Hon’ble Union Minister appreciated the concerns of Odisha and

assured that his Ministry will immediately prepare a Note for seeking the approval

of the Cabinet for upgrading Biju Patnaik Airport to an International Airport. For

Jharsuguda Airport, the Union Minister stated that the length of the Airstrip will be

increased to the desired minimum to make it operational for domestic airlines, at

the earliest. He also assured the Hon’ble Chief Minister that his Ministry will

actively explore the possibility of connecting Bhubaneswar to the Middle East

and South East Asian countries. The Union Minister added that the Union Civil

Aviation Ministry and Union Tourism Ministry will work closely with the State

Government to host an Aviation/ Tourism Conference in Bhubaneswar for

promoting tourist traffic to the State and assured that every possible support will

be made to project Odisha as a world class tourist destination.

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