Bhuabneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday shot off another letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to instruct Air India authorities to begin operations between Jharsuguda and Delhi.
In the letter, Naveen thanked the Centre for naming the newly-inaugurated airport after the son of the soil, Veer Surendra Sai.
After inauguration of the airport on September 22, 2018, Air Odisha had started flying operations under RCS-UDAN. Unfortunately, it suspended operations since November 6, 2018, without any valid reason, the Chief Minister wrote.
“Jharsuguda is located strategically in the industrial and mining belt of Odisha and is a critical point of connectivity to western Odisha. During the inauguration of the airport, I had offered full support of the state government for running commercial flights and had requested for commencing Air India flight operations from Jharsuguda to Delhi,” he said.
Naveen suggested that one of existing flights from Bhubaneswar to Delhi could have a stop-over at Jharsuguda.
He requested PM Modi to take immediate steps in this connection and fulfil the aspirations of the people of western Odisha to have air connectivity.