BERHAMPUR: The Ganjam Bar Association (GBA), the oldest body of lawyers in the state, has renewed its demand for setting up an airport in Berhampur. The association, in a memorandum, addressed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, stated that the Silk City has the required infrastructure for the establishment of an airport but nothing has been done in this regard.
It said the Chief Minister had assured people of the district that Berhampur deserves special focus of the government to transform it into a modern city. Still the two-decade old demand for an airport in the region remains a distant dream.
The GBA, in an unanimous decision taken during a virtual meeting of its members, urged the State government to send a proposal in this regard to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. Bar chairman Bhagaban Sahu said the Civil Aviation Ministry, in its letter dated April 29, 2020, had written to the State government in this regard. “The government needs to work out modalities to expedite the process,” he stressed.
The association said Berhampur is situated in the middle of Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam, which have international airports and are located 185 and 283 km from the city respectively. As per an estimate around 32 per cent air passengers from the district use the Biju Patnaik International Airport and 21 per cent the one at Visakhapatnam. It said Berhampur is home to several industries and its personnel will be benefited if the airport is established in the city.