Odisha Govt To Engage RITES To Prepare DPR For Expansion Of Airports

Rourkela: The Odisha government has reportedly selected RITES Ltd as a consultant to prepare the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the expansion of airports at Rourkela, Jeypore, and Amarda Road, targeting Code 3C commercial operation licences.

The Commerce & Transport department in a letter to RITES Ltd on November 15, 2023, confirmed the government’s acceptance of their offer for DPR preparation, each costing Rs 1.10 crore excluding GST. Aviation advisor, Directorate of Aviation, Suresh Chandra Hota, is to oversee the project, TNIE reported.

This decision follows a letter from principal secretary of Commerce and Transport department, Usha Padhee to AAI chairman Sanjeev Kumar on July 4, 2023, urging the preparation of DPRs for Rourkela and Jeypore airports. The government, expressing willingness to bear charges, sought details for upgrading these airports to the 3C licence category.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is understood to have backtracked on its promises to take the expansion works forward, the report said.

Former general secretary of Steel Executives’ Federation of India (SEFI), Bimal Bisi, commended the government’s initiative. Underlining the need to upgrade Rourkela airport, he suggested a full takeover from SAIL to ensure seamless operations.

While there is high demand on Rourkela-Bhubaneswar route with 90 per cent occupancy on Alliance Air’s ATR-72 flights, cancellations persist due to the lack of Instrument Landing System (ILS) and night landing facilities.

Notably, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has operated the Rourkela airport of SAIL under an MoU for three years, with SAIL. The AAI reportedly spent around Rs 28 crore until December 2022 for upgrading the airport to Code 2C, with plans for further expansion to Code 3C temporarily on hold.