Mangaraj demands flight services from Jeypore and Utkela airports

BHUBANESWAR: Rajya Sabha member Manas Mangaraj on Wednesday demanded early completion of Jeypore (Koraput) and Utkela (Kalahandi) airports that will facilitate air connectivity in the Maoist-infested areas.

Raising the issue through a special mention in the Upper House of the Parliament, Mangaraj said the airports will benefit people in the region as well as those staying outside, as the regions are linked to business and commercial hubs.

Five airports were taken up in the State for development under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik), a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016, but only Jharsuguda has been operationalised so far.

“Though the works at Jeypore and Utkela airstrips began in 2020 after a long delay, flight services are yet to start. The Central teams are visiting the airstrips and making promises for early services, but there is no specific announcement so far,” he pointed out.

The State government had undertaken the development of Jeypore and Utkela airports with the technical assistance of AAI. It had provided 118.5 acre of land and Rs 75 crore for Jharsuguda airport.