Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday said that the Centre is keen to develop a greenfield airport in Puri.
“A detailed report has been sent to the Odisha government and we are awaiting a response,” said Scindia while talking to reporters after inaugurating the ‘Udan Utsav’ in Jharsuguda. Jharsuguda was selected for the Udan Utsav as the Udan operations were beyond expectations here in the phase 1.
At present, several airlines are offering connectivity to seven cities from Jharsuguda and there are plans to increase the flight frequency from here, he said. “We are awaiting a response from the Odisha government as we have already sent a detailed proposal for Puri airport which will be developed as a greenfield airport,” said Scindia.
The Civil Aviation Minister further said that his Ministry is also expecting a report from the State government to resolve the issues of permission and licensing for Jeypore and Utkela airports. He said that nearly 180 acres of land is required for the phase 2 development of Jharsuguda airport.
“In a federal structure, both the Centre and State governments need to work in tandem to ensure that air connectivity reaches the last mile. As Jharsuguda is a key agricultural belt, it can extensively use the Krishi Udan scheme which assists farmers in transporting agriculture products,” said the Union Civil Aviation Minister.
On plans to increase the Udan scheme, Scidia said, “If we want to accelerate growth and development, we need to focus on 2 and 3-tier cities as the major airports in Mumbai and other parts of the country are operating at their peak.”