Is Odisha Govt Procrastinating On Greenfield Airport At Puri? Check Union Minister’s Reply In Lok Sabha

By OB Bureau On Dec 2, 2021

New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Ministry has not received any proposal from the Odisha government for establishment of a Greenfield Airport in Puri, MoS (Civil Aviation) General VK Singh told the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Thursday.

Puri MP Pinaki Mishra had sought information from the Ministry on whether the Centre is planning Shri Jagannath International Airport at Puri and its current status. He also enquired about the pre-feasibility study of the site and steps being taken to expedite the process. The question also included the time frame for completion of the project and whether this airport will be supplementary to Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar.

In his reply, Singh said that a multi-disciplinary team from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) visited Puri in June for conducting a pre-feasibility study of the site identified by the state government for the establishment of the Greenfield Airport.

The report was sent to the Odisha government on August 5. “The responsibility of implementation of the airport project, including necessary approvals from Government of India, rests with the concerned project proponent, the state government. So far, no proposal in the prescribed proforma for the establishment of the Greenfield Airport at Puri has been received by MoCA,” he added.

Last month during his visit to Jharsuguda, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M Scindia had said the Greenfield Airport at Puri will commence following a response from the state government.

Also Read: Centre Awaiting Odisha’s Response On Greenfield Airport At Puri: Scindia

In January, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had pitched for an international airport, named after Lord Jagannath, at Puri. “The state government has identified land at Puri for the proposed airport and will proactively support all the activities required for establishing the airport in record time. I request that the Ministry of Civil Aviation may be asked to take up this airport as a priority project,” he wrote in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On June 18, a six-member technical team of AAI approved the 1,500 acre land, identified by the district administration at Girala village on the outskirts of Puri town, for the proposed international airport.