The demand for developing the present airstrip at Rangeilunda on the outskirts of Brahmapur got further momentum with the BJP Ganjam district unit submitting a memorandum to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju during his visit to the silk city on Tuesday.
In the memorandum, BJP district president Kanhu Charan Pati requested the Minister to take immediate steps to develop the Rangeilunda airstrip into a regular airport.
Notably, a team of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) had visited the airstrip in August last year and discussed about its expansion. “Brahmapur has been the business and educational hub of the entire south Odisha. While national-level premium educational institute like the IISER has already been set up here, wagon factory, titanium plant, Tata project and the Gopalpur port would be commissioned soon. Hence, development of the airstrip into a regular airport is urgently needed,” mentioned the BJP district president.
Similarly, the Forum for Ganjam, an umbrella organisation of intellectuals, political parties, NGOs and general public, submitted a memorandum to the Civil Aviation Minister urging him to take necessary steps to upgrade the airstrip into an airport.