Civil Aviation Minister Scindia Attends Udan Utsav Celebrations in Odisha, Says Centre Plans for Greenfield Airport at Puri
GG News Bureau
Bhubaneswar, 23rd Nov. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on Monday attended the Udan Utsav celebrations at the Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Odisha’s Jharsuguda.
During this, he said that the Centre plans setting up a Greenfield airport at Puri. He also mentioned Phase-II expansion of Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda apart from two more small airports operational in Odisha. The minister also flagged off a new air route between Shillong and Dimapur under RCS Scheme.
Scindia said that the Greenfield Airport at Puri and the Phase II expansion of Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda will begin following responses from the respective state governments.
He said that PM Modi has “democratised the Indian Air Space” for the common man which was once in the domain of rich people. The common people could now get an opportunity to travel by air, which was once a dream for them.
He said that the development of Jharsuguda airport, which was inaugurated on this day by PM Modi on Nov 22, 2018, is a perfect example of cooperative federalism and a great success story of Udan scheme.
Scindia also thanked the Odisha government. He said that this project is a classic example of development through federal cooperation.
“The number of flyers across the country during the pandemic saw a decline of 62% while Jharsuguda during the same period, witnessed a mere drop of 5%. This shows the potential of the district and the region at large,” Scindia said. He said that India had only 72 airports since independence while after 2014, the number of airports now is 136.
“We have set a target to increase this number by 220 in the next five years which will include helipads and water aerodromes. The number of airlines, routes have also increased significantly over the years due to the advent of the Udan scheme,” he added.
The Union Minister also announced a Special Joy Ride. It will be an air ride for the elderly and children during the Udan Utsav celebrations.
Scindia added that the Civil Aviation Ministry is expecting a report from the state government to resolve the problems of permission and licensing for Jeypore and Utkela airports in Odisha.
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