By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Call it a mad rush at Biju Patnaik International Airport here on Sunday , the occasion was late Biju Babu’s birth day , where, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled historic Dakota Aircraft for public viewing.
State Commerce and Transport Department said “ It is a matter of pride for the Odisha government to unveil the Dakota DC-3 aircraft which was relocated from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata to Biju Patnaik International Airport. Public display of the aircraft will serve as an embodiment of the former Chief Minister’s courage and adventurism, and inspire people of Odisha to dream big,”.
Biju Patnaik, a skilled pilot, had used a Dakota aircraft to rescue erstwhile Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Hatta and Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir in 1947. For his daredevilry, the Indonesian government had twice decorated Biju Patnaik with Bhumiputra – the highest civilian award of the country.
On January 18, the aircraft had reached the state from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.
