BHUBANESWAR: Members cutting across party lines and senior citizens from Jharsuguda have expressed concern over the non-operation of flights from the newly-inaugurated Jharsuguda Airport.
A delegation led by working president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) and Jharsuguda MLA Naba Kishore Das met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday and demanded operation of commercial flights from the airport regularly besides officially its naming after Veer Surendra Sai. Das has also written to the Chief Minister in this regard.
Das said although Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the airport as Veer Surendra Sai airport on the day of its inauguration on September 22 and assured to make it a full-fledged one, no action has been taken. “The public demand was to name the airport after Veer Surendra Sai in his memory.
You (the Chief Minister) had also demanded the airport to be named after Veer Surendra Sai and flying of commercial flights with the State Government’s assurance to bear the additional expenses,” he said.
“But, for the last 20 days, no flight is coming nor is there any official communication about naming the airport after Veer Surendra Sai. It seems that the Centre’s UDAN scheme has no meaning nor the government has any mind to name it after Veer Surendra Sai, rather it appears a false announcement,” Das said in the letter.
He said Western Odisha people will go for a peaceful demonstration in front of Jharsuguda airport against Centre’s inaction to name the airport after VSS and make it full-fledged with commercial flights.
On October 23, the Congress legislator along with people from all the sectors had staged a demonstration in front of Jharsuguda Airport demanding to make it full-fledged.
Das said the Chief Minister assured the delegation that he will intervene and write to the Prime Minister.