- The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has granted site clearance approval for the proposed Sri Jagannath International Airport in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri.
- The state will have to submit its application along with the DPR for in-principle approval of the steering committee on greenfield airports within two years.
- A total of 1,164 acres of land has been earmarked for the proposed airport, which is likely to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 5,631 crore.
- If everything is completed on time, sources said, construction work can start as early as next year.
- On January 1, 2021, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to establish an international airport at Puri
In a big boost to the state government’s plans for the establishment of Sri Jagannath International Airport at Puri, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has granted site clearance approval for the project. The clearance was obtained exactly a year after the government submitted all requisites to the ministry seeking clearance to set up the airport in accordance with the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008.
While granting the clearance, sources said, the MoCA has asked the state government to proceed with the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for grant of ‘in-principle’ approval. The state will have to submit its application along with the DPR for in-principle approval of the steering committee on greenfield airports within two years.
As per initial estimates, the airport will be built at a cost of around Rs 5,631 crore. The Puri district administration has already started the process for acquiring around 1,164 acres of land including 68 acres of forest and 221.48 acres of private in Sipasarubali and Sandhapur under Brahmagiri tehsil. The private land required for the project includes 153.37 acres in Sipasarubali and 68.11 acres in Sandhapur. However, no rehabilitation and resettlement is required as the land parcels are free of human habitation.
If everything is completed on time, sources said, construction work can start as early as next year.
As Puri is being developed into a world-class heritage city and Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar has reached its design capacity limit, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021 to set up the international airport keeping in view of high tourist footfall in the pilgrim city in future. During his visit to New Delhi in May this year, Naveen again requested the PM for his intervention to expedite the process.
Later in the same month, while addressing the inauguration of the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat train which was flagged off by Modi, Naveen had invited the PM to inaugurate the airport once it is ready with his support within three to four years.
(With inputs from agencies)
