Bhubaneswar: Four new airstrips are set to come up in western Odisha as part of efforts by the state government to expand aviation infrastructure in the region.
The new airstrips are proposed at Jamadarpali in Sambalpur district, Satibhata in Bargarh, Gotma in Nuapada and Tusura in Balangir district. With this, the total number of airports in the region will go up to eight. Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena shared the information in the Assembly recently while answering a question.
The existing airports in western Odisha include Jeypore airport in Koraput, Veer Surendra Sai airport in Jharsuguda, a small airport in Rourkela in Sundargarh district and an airstrip at Utkela in Kalahandi. All these four airports operate with direct connectivity to Bhubaneswar.
The Minister further stated that there is a plan to upgrade Jeypore airport from 2B category to 3C and for this, 229.4 acres of land will be acquired. For its development, Rs 64.4 crore has been allotted. The Tusura airport in Balangir district will be upgraded to 2B, for which Rs 65 crore has been sanctioned. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had laid the foundation for its upgradation in November last year, while the obstacle limitation survey for this airport has been completed, his reply stated.
The reasons for delay in taking up these projects are procedural, land acquisition and aerodrome licensing, the Minister added.
This apart, four more airports will be made operational at Raisua and Barbil in Keonjhar district, Gudari in Kandhamal, Dandabos and Amarda in Mayurbhanj district. These airports will cater to the central, north and west-central regions of the state.
In September 2023, the then Union civil aviation minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, in a letter to Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi had said that Rs 45 crore has been sanctioned for the development of the World War II airstrip at Amarda Road and two years ago, it gave approval to the state to develop it. The airstrip land belongs to Defence Research and Development Organisation and it has been lying unused for years. People have demanded revival of the airstrip for connectivity to north Odisha.
The state budget recently made a provision to establish a greenfield airport at the industrial and port town of Paradip to accelerate growth in industry, export and import and to further expand the aviation map in industrial clusters in coastal areas.
