Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding an international airport at Puri. He said that the new airport should be named Sri Jagannath International Airport. At present Odisha has only one international airport, Biju Patnaik airport in Bhubaneswar.

Naveen urged Modi to direct the ministry of civil aviation to take up the proposed airport as a priority project. Naveen also promised to provide land to the Centre for the project.

Referring to the tourism potential of this pilgrim town, the chief minister said “The Sun Temple of Konark, a Unesco heritage site is just 35km away from Puri and along with the adjacent Ramchandi and Chandrabhaga beaches provides a unique experience to national and international tourists.”

Naveen also maintained that, “Puri is organically linked to Ramsar sites — Chilika Lake (India’s first Ramsar site and Unesco world heritage site) on one side and Bhitarkanika National park on the other side. Both these locations have huge potential for international eco–tourism. Puri beach has been recently transformed into a Blue flag beach with world–class experience for the tourists. Most of the historic Buddhist heritage sites like Dhauli, Ratnagiri etc with travel time within three hours from Puri, attract Buddhist pilgrims from across the world.”

The chief minister referred to the importance of Puri town in Hindu religion and said that it is one among the four dhams of Hindu Dharma.

“The Rath Yatra of Puri is a world famous annual event attracting lakhs of pilgrims and visitors from across the world. The chariot festival is celebrated across 192 countries. The proposed airport will help bring Jagannath devotees from across the world to Puri and will help to promote Jagannath culture across the world. Therefore, we propose that an international airport be established at Puri in the name of Sri Jagannath International Airport,” Naveen said.

Stating that Puri has the potential to become a hub for spiritual, tourism and economic activities, Naveen said, “The coastal highway passes through this area and connects the Paradeep Port (114km away) and Greenfield Astaranga port (60km away). There is great potential for economic synergy along the entire corridor.”