The Bharatiya Bikash Parishad, led by its State president Surendra Panigrahi, in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister has demanded that the ‘no flying zone’ be reduced to 30 km instead of 75 km from Army AD College, Gopalpur, so as to pave the way for establishment of a cargo and domestic airport near there.
Referring to its earlier letter sent in September last, the Parishad reiterated that, keeping the importance and growing requirements of the Brahmapur city and its strategtic location in mind, the British regime had established an airport with 750-long runway at Rangilunda (presently close to the Berhampur University campus, Bhaja Bihar) during the Second World War, but the same has been neglected by the successive Central and State Governments. As per the recommendation of the Government of Odisha, the Union Government had declared four new airports under UDAAN scheme, namely, Rourkella, Jharsuguda, Jaipur and Utkela (Kalahandi district) to boost communication and economy of the region.
Similarly, the State Government subsequently recommended five more such green field airports, in Rayagada, Dhamara, Paradip, Angul and Kaling Nagar to establish inter-State civil aviation facilities and to further boost their infra in the region.
The Parishad regretted that, the State Government had neglected Brahmapur which is a commercial, cultural, educational and healthcare epicenter for the entire south Odisha in the matter of establishing an airport. Notably, during the visit of the former Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashoak Gajapati Raju to Brahmapur in 2016, he had assured the public for establishment of cargo-based domestic airport at Brahmapur since there is no cargo airport between Kolkata and Hyderabad stretching almost a distance of 2,000 km, but in vain.
Keeping the public perceptions and growing strategic requirements in mind, the Government should make an amendment in the existing limit of the radius of flying zone, the Parishad maintained and also submitted a copy of the memorandum to the Union Defence and Civil Aviation Minister, the State Chief Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the Union Defence Secretary and other relevant functionaries.
