JHARSUGUDA: The Airport Advisory Committee on Thursday underscored the urgent need for infrastructure expansion and enhanced air connectivity at Veer Surendra Sai (VSS) Airport in Jharsuguda with an aim to develop it into a key aviation hub in eastern India.
At a meeting of the committee chaired by Bargarh MP Pradeep Purohit here, members reviewed future growth prospects and stressed the need for timely land acquisition and operational upgrades to cater to rising passenger traffic and flight operations.
The committee strongly advocated early introduction of new flight services connecting Jharsuguda with Jaipur and Visakhapatnam, besides the launch of a morning flight to Delhi. These services, members said, would greatly improve regional accessibility and support industrial, commercial and administrative travel.
Officials informed the meeting that the land requirement for airport expansion has increased from the earlier estimate of 170 acre to about 235 acre including both government and private land.
Concern was also raised over inadequate VIP lounge facilities despite frequent visits by union and state ministers. The committee recommended constructing a larger lounge in the departure area and arranging dedicated protocol vehicles. Beautification of the airport premises, including improvement and relocation of the Veer Surendra Sai statue, was also discussed.
Among others, Jharsuguda MLA Tankadhar Tripathy, Northern Range IG Himanshu Lal, Jharsuguda collector Kunal Motiram Chavan, SP GR Raghavendra and director of VSS airport Rupendranath Dhaundia attended.