BHUBANESWAR: BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra on Tuesday met Union minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu at New Delhi and proposed upgradation of the existing Rangeilunda airstrip in Ganjam district into a full-fledged commercial airport, to be designated as Berhampur airport.
Patra told the minister that development of the airstrip into a modern facility will significantly enhance air connectivity for southern Odisha. “This has been a long-standing aspiration of the people of southern Odisha and a matter which I have consistently pursued both inside and outside Parliament as an issue of regional connectivity, balanced development and economic inclusion,” he said.
The BJD MP underlined that despite having economic, educational and strategic importance, southern Odisha continues to remain underserved in terms of aviation infrastructure.
“Even though Berhampur functions as the principal economic and educational hub for the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Koraput, Rayagada and Malkangiri, besides serving large parts of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, citizens from this entire region continue to depend largely upon Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam for commercial air connectivity,” he noted.
The airstrip was identified under the UDAN/Regional Connectivity Scheme framework in 2018. Subsequently, regional connectivity operations commenced from Rangeilunda in March 2023, demonstrating both operational feasibility and growing public demand for regular aviation services in southern Odisha, said Patra.