By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday met Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh in New Delhi and asked him to take necessary steps for improvement of the state’s aviation infrastructure.
Patnaik told the union minister that Odisha does not have adequate air connectivity which acts as a major impediment to the industrialization process and the growth of tourist traffic in the state, the office of the chief minister said in a release.
Patnaik requested the union minister to declare the Biju Patnaik Air Port at Bhubaneswar as an international airport at the earliest and provide the required facilities, it added.
The chief minister also asserted that the aviation ministry may accord early clearance to those airlines which are interested in operating International flights to and from Bhubaneswar.
He also requested the union minister for providing necessary infrastructural support to the Jharsuguda Airport at Jharasuguda, about 374 km from here for enabling domestic airlines to operate from there.