Bhubaneswar: The Central government on Monday accorded in-principle approval for setting up a greenfield airport in Odisha’s pilgrim town Puri.
As per an official statement, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu has granted in-principle approval for the establishment of greenfield airport in Puri as well as Kota in Rajasthan.
Puri, one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in India and home to Shree Jagannath Temple, attracts millions of devotees and tourists from across the country and the world.
The decision to establish an airport in Puri will provide a major boost to religious tourism, regional development, and overall connectivity in the region.
This airport will be able to enhance the direct connectivity between Puri and major metropolitan cities in India. This decision marks an important milestone for Puri and Odisha and is in line with the government’s commitment to strengthening last-mile air connectivity and making air travel accessible to all, the statement issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry said.
Notably, the Centre had last year sought a detailed project report (DPR), including development plan, project cost and funding, traffic projections, timelines for construction of the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport in Puri.
According to the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008, the responsibility of implementation of airport projects, including funding of the project, land acquisition, R&R etc, rests with the concerned airport developer, the state government in this case.
The Centre had granted site clearance to Odisha for setting up of an international greenfield airport at Puri on September 22, 2023.
About 1500 acres of land alongside Puri-Brahmagiri road has been identified for the proposed airport.
