Naveen pitches for air connectivity to West Asia

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has pitched for air connectivity between Bhubaneswar and West Asian as well as South-East Asian nations while reiterating his demand for declaring the Biju Patnaik airport in the city as an international airport.

The demand was raised by Patnaik during his meeting with Union minister for civil aviation Ajit Singh in New Delhi on Thursday.

Patnaik pointed out that Odisha still remained deprived of international operations despite attracting a rush of investment proposals across sectors. Total investments proposed in Odisha in calendar 2011 stood at Rs 3.21 lakh crore, the highest among all states.

He stressed upon the need to provide adequate infrastructural support to the aviation sector to ensure unhindered industrialisation and also keeping in view the growing inflow of domestic as well as international tourists.

Patnaik suggested that the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) should initiate the process of promoting Odisha as a world-class tourist destination and provide necessary support for holding a major conference in Bhubaneswar in the early part of 2013.

Moreover, he urged the Union minister to take urgent steps for developing Jharsuguda airport including expansion of its airstrip and other necessary infrastructure. Jharsuguda has emerged as a major industrial hub in western belt of the state and hence requires adequate air connectivity, he argued. The state government has approved allotment of 191 acres of land for development of this airport.

Patnaik said, the MoCA needs to take up feasibility studies for developing the existing airstrips at Gopalpur and Jeypore into full-fledged airports.

The Union minister assured Patnaik that all necessary steps are being taken to upgrade Biju Patnaik domestic airport into an international airport at the earliest.

The minister informed that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will be advised to take up the work relating to expansion of airstrip at Jharsuguda and suggested that Odisha should explore the possibility of developing Jharsuguda airport on the PPP (public private partnership) mode.