Jharsuguda (Odisha): Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday on inaugurated a new airport at Jharsuguda, which he said will attract investors to the mineral-rich area and act as a lifeline in the western region of the state.

The Prime Minister said the airport would go a long way in transforming the state into a modern and developed one. Noting that the only one major airport existed in Odisha for so many years, Modi said Kutch district in Gujarat alone has five airports. “Now, the second airport in the state would act as a lifeline in western region of Odisha and attract investors to the mineral-rich region," he said.

Highlighting the importance of the Jharsuguda airport, Modi said it would act as a junction for neighbouring Raipur and Ranchi and strengthen connectivity. Development of eastern Indian states, including Odisha, West Bengal and Assam, was essential for achieving balanced development of the country, the Prime Minister said.

The new airport has been named after freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, while addressing the ceremony, thanked the Prime Minister for naming the new airport after Sai, and said steps should be taken for quick introduction of regular commercial flights from Jharsuguda. He said the state government had provided land and free power for setting up the airport.

Modi also inaugurated the Garjanbahal open cast mine of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), which boasts of coal block reserves of 230 million tonnes, with an annual production capacity of 13 million tonnes.It will generate direct employment opportunity for 894 people and indirect job opportunities for 5,000. The Prime Minister also launched the 53.1-kilometre long Jharsuguda-Serdega railway line constructed by the MCL, and said it would strengthen connectivity in the tribal-dominated region. Modi also dedicated to the nation the Dulanga Coal Mining Project of NTPC in the Sundargarh district of the state.

The Jharsuguda airport has been developed by the Airports Authority of India in collaboration with the Odisha government at an estimated cost of ₹ 210 crore, with a contribution of ₹ 75 crore from the state. The airport has been developed under the Centre’s UDAN scheme. Spread across over 1,027.5 acres with a 2,390-metre long runway, the terminal building of the airport covers an area of around 4,000 sq metre. The airport has been developed for all-weather operations, including night operations for A-320 type of aircraft.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed

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