Honouring Tribal Heroes: Cabinet Approves Renaming Of Jharsuguda Aerodrome As Veer Surendra Sai Airport

The Cabinet has cleared the proposal of renaming Jharsuguda aerodrome in Odisha as 'Veer Surendra Sai Airport' named after the famous freedom fighter of the state.

The official release stated, "Renaming of the Jharsuguda aerodrome in his name will fulfil the long-pending demand of the Odisha government, which reflects the sentiments of the local public of the respective area," as reported by Economic Times.

The Union Cabinet which cleared the renaming process was chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who also inaugurated the airport on 22 September 2018.

The airport is spread across 1,027.5 acres of land with a 2,390-metre long runway and the area of terminal building of the airport is 4,000 square metres.

The second largest after Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, the airport in Jharsuguda is developed to facilitate new avenues in the mineral-rich region which houses over 500 small and large industrial units. In addition to that, it is also expected to expedite the economic development in the western region of the state.

The Airports Authority of India in collaboration with the Orissa government has developed the airport at an estimated cost of Rs 210 crore out of which Rs 75 crores were contributed by the Odisha government.