Bhubaneswar: Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M Scindia today said that the development of Jharsuguda airport is a perfect example of cooperative federalism and a great success story of the Udan scheme.
Attending the Udan Utsav celebrations at Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Odisha’s Jharsuguda, on Monday Union Minister for Civil Aviation said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has democratised the Indian Air Space. Citing the development of Jharsuguda airport as great success story of the Udan scheme, the Union Minister said, “It is an example of how the center and state’s joint work could do wonders”.
Scindia said that the number of flyers across the country during the pandemic saw a decline of 62% while Jharsuguda during the same time, witnessed a mere drop of 5%. “This shows the potential of the district and the region at large,” he said.
While speaking about the success of Udan scheme over the years, the Union Minister has said that the country had only 72 airports since independence while after 2014, the number of airports now stood at 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 Udan scheme,” Scindia added.
Speaking of the glory of the rich land of Jharsuguda and terming it as the Power House of Odisha and India at large, Scindia said that the place, which is a house to many brave freedom fighters, natural and cultural resources, is aptly chosen to celebrate the Udan Utsav.
Scindia also announced the Special Joy Ride, an air ride, being planned for elderly and children during the Udan Utsav celebrations which will also commemorate the ongoing Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Talking about airport expansions in Odisha, the minister said the Greenfield Airport at Puri and the Phase II expansion of Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda will commence following responses from the state government.
The event on Monday was attended by Sundargarh MP Jual Oram, Bargarh MP Suresh Pujhari, state Transport Department Minister Padmanav Behera, MLA Brajrajnagar Kishore Kumar Mohanty, Chairman Airport Authority of India Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Rajiv Bansal and other senior officials of the ministry and the airport.
