Odisha CM urges Centre to introduce Bhubaneswar-Pune flight

Odisha Chief Minister on Wednesday urged the Centre to introduce direct flights between Bhubaneswar and Pune.

File photo (PTI)

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged the Centre to introduce direct flights between Bhubaneswar and Pune.

"I would like to seek your personal intervention in the matter the for introduction of direct flight between Bhubaneswar and Pune by Air India or any other private Airline at the earliest," Patnaik wrote to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

Noting that Bhubaneswar and Pune share a long-standing relationship being two prominent educational and IT hubs of the country, Patnaik said many academicians and IT professionals frequently visit both the places.

Patnaik said passengers now have to take flight via Hyderabad or Mumbai as there is no direct flight between these two cities. It is costlier as well as time-consuming for them, the chief minister said.

This apart, Patnaik pointed out that tourists from Pune undertake a journey to visit places like Puri, Konark, Chilika near Bhubaneswar and people of Odisha visit Shirdi, Mahabaleshwar, Trimbakeshwar near Pune.