ODISHA DEVELOPMENT FORUM SUBMITS MEMO TO ASSEMBLY SPEAKER FOR BRAHMAPUR AIRPORT AND INDUSTRIES IN GANJAM

Bureau,Odishabarta

Berhampur:For establishment of Green Field Domestic and Cargo Airport at Brahmapur, for rapid industrialization, development of the railways and the tourism industry in Ganjam district, the Odisha Development Forum has been working since last 15 years. From the last six months protest rallies, bike rallies, public awareness meetings in various blocks of Ganjam district were organized and memos submitted to the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Odisha Chief Minister through senior officials, People’s Representatives and Districts Magistrate for fulfillment of peoples’ demands. But no progress happened till date.

Hence, members of Odisha Development Forum and other social organizations met Brahmapur MP, MLA, Aska MP and other peoples’ representatives to convince them about the demands and to raise questions in Parliament and State Assembly. In this series, senior members of Odisha Development Forum and other social organizations met and submitted a memo to Odisha Assembly Speaker Shri Surya Narayan Patra today for the establishment of Green Field Airport at Brahmapur, rapid industrialization, for development of tourism industry and development of railway infra in Ganjam district, which has always been neglected by the railway department. On this occasion senior member of Odisha Development Forum Laxmi Narayan Padhi, Senior Member of ‘Bahumukhi Samaj Mangal Kendra’ Manas Patra, ‘Utkal Samaj’ State Secretary Saroj Pattnaik, ODF senior members V Someshwar Rao, Ajay Sahu, Pritish Panigrahi, Abibhavak Sangha president Madhusudan Sahu, Divine Charity President Biranchi Narayan Sahu and other prominent activists were present.

Noteworthy, under the UDDAN scheme, the Odisha government is setting up airports in Rourkela (which is just 90 km from Jharsuguda airport), Utkela, Puri (which is only 56 km from Bhubaneswar), Paradweep and Jaypur. But Brahmapur city which is the second largest urban cluster in Odisha has been neglected and the Department of Civil Aviation and Government of Odisha both are jointly adopting a different policy for the establishment of airport here.

Members of the Forum expressed deep dissatisfaction for this approach while discussing with Shri Surya Narayan Patra. The Hon’ble Speaker asked local MLA’s to raise these issues in the Assembly and promised to look into it personally.