Bhubaneswar: Projecting Odisha as the most sought after business destination, the Odisha government today said it has been preparing a dedicated policy for development of civil aviation.
"Government of Odisha is currently working on preparation of a dedicated policy for development of civil aviation in the state," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said while addressing the conclave on development of civil aviation in the state.
Stating that the state has 12 functional airstrips and about 16 helipads, Patnaik said all of them may not be commercially viable.
"But due to marked shift in economic activities in the last few years, definitely a strong case in favour of Odisha exists for development of a few airstrips into full fledged airports capable of handling mid-sized aircraft," Patnaik said.
Though the Union Civil Aviation Ministry has been supportive in installing a new domestic terminal at Biju Patnaik Airport, the chief minister said "Our government expects something more from the ministry."
05/03/13 PTI/Business Standard
