**Bhubaneswar:** Voicing the opinion of several Odisha-based people settled in Gujarat, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Minister of Commerce, Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu, requesting him to impress upon Air India and other private airlines to introduce direct flights between Bhubaneswar and Surat.
“You might be aware that lakhs of Odia families have settled in Surat and are engaged in the textile sector there. However, presently there is no direct air connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Surat. It takes a lot of time to travel by air between these two cities,” mentions the letter to Prabhu.
It further states, “During the hours of urgent necessity, Odia people living in Surat face untold difficulties in reaching Odisha in time.”
The letter also mentions the keen tourist interest in both cities every year. Thus, it explains that air connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Surat can give rise to tourist inflow in both the places.
In conclusion, Patnaik writes, “I would, therefore, like to request you to impress upon Air India and other private airlines to introduce direct flights between Bhubaneswar and Surat at the earliest.”
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