Bhubaneswar: The state government’s move to set up an airport in Puri has made further progress as the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has given its green signal for the airport in Sipasarubali Mouza under Brahmagiri tehsil of the district.
A three-member AAI team comprising Shantanu Phalnikar, Vinod Kumar Pillai and Sushil Kumar Verma had visited Puri on June 23 this year to identify the location for the proposed Sri Jagannath International Airport.
The team visited four sites at Girala and Sipasarubali on the western side of Puri town and Samagara and Baliguali on the eastern end. Before its return to Delhi, the team finalised the site at Sipasarubali as the ideal location as it fulfilled all criteria for the international airport.
On the basis of the team’s report, the AAI in its pre-feasibility report to the Odisha government said the land in Sipasarubali will be ideal for the international airport. However, keeping its future prospect, the airport will require an additional 2300 acre of land.
From the environmental point of view, the report said the proposed airport will have no problem with the wind speed and direction.
The report further said the airport at present will have one runway over 1200 acre of land. However, it will require a parallel runway in future.
Also Read: Sri Jagannath International Airport To Come Up At Sipasarubali In Odisha’s Puri!
While the Commerce and Transport department is examining the pre-feasibility report of AAI, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will hold a review meeting in this regard soon.
To go ahead with the project, the state government will have a meeting with the Civil Aviation Ministry after which a high-level team of AAI officials will visit Sipasarubali, official sources said.
It is worthwhile to mention here that the Chief Minister in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 1 this year had sought to establish an international airport named after Lord Jagannath in Puri.
Also Read: Odisha CM Proposes To Centre For International Airport At Puri
