PURNEA, Jan. 21 -- A person may reach Purnea from Delhi within two hours by air, but it can take more than two hours to cover a distance of just ten kilometres from the airport to the town. This has become a reality for airline passengers due to poor road connectivity to the four-month-old Purnea airport. As a result, passengers constantly fear missing their flights. Inadequate road connectivity has remained a major obstacle for Purnea airport since its inauguration, causing inconvenience to passengers, increasing travel time, leading to delays and restricting economic growth. Efficient road links are vital for connecting any airport to the town and surrounding cities. However, the road connecting the civil enclave to nearby NH-31 is still in limbo despite assurances made on several occasions. Although direct flights to Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad have proved profitable for airline companies since the airport was dedicated to the people by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 15 last year, the demand for direct flights to Bengaluru, Mumbai and Guwahati remains unfulfilled. "Major airline companies are not showing interest in starting direct flights to these cities due to poor connectivity with the civil enclave," RTI activist Vijay Kumar Shrivastava said. He added, "Much to our chagrin, in a reply sought through RTI, the executive engineer, road division, Purnea stated that work would begin only after receiving approval from the competent authority." The proposal is still awaiting approval. Expressing dismay over the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities, he alleged, "Despite the MoU signed between the Government of Bihar and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in 2023, the civil enclave has not yet been connected to the National Highway by a four-lane road, which is a perfect example of neglect and apathy." Shrivastava, who has been raising the issue for a long time, further alleged, "Due to poor connectivity, several passengers have missed their flights after being stuck in traffic jams." He stressed that strong road links are essential for integrating air travel with other modes of transport. He expressed concern over the dilly-dallying attitude of the department for months and said, "We are thinking of launching an agitation for better connectivity in the same way as we did for the airport." Recently, Purnea district magistrate Anshul Kumar said that a new connecting road would be constructed via Harda. Dilip Jaiswal, industries and road construction minister, who hails from Seemanchal, told media persons, "I will speak to the top authorities regarding road connectivity, and soon it will no longer be a problem."...