Following a favourable obstacle limitation surfaces (OLS) survey, the state government has submitted an application for land to be purchased for the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport at Puri.
The 1,164-acre megaproject, which would be built on 221.48 acres of private land and 68 acres of forest land in the Sipasarubali and Sandhapur regions of the Brahmagiri tehsil, is expected to be finished by 2025. It will be constructed for about Rs 5,631 crore.
According to the OLS study and the removal of identified barriers, the creation of a greenfield airport at Puri, which is being transformed into a world-class heritage city, appeared to be technically possible in February, according to Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen. VK Singh.
Together with the feasibility study, the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for the purchase of private land totaling 68.11 acres in Sandhapur and 153.37 acres in Sipasarubali has also been finished. According to sources who spoke to TNIE, there would be no need for rehabilitation or relocation because these territories are uninhabited.
The government would start the procedure for obtaining approvals for the forest and environment once the designation of forest area was complete. According to the sources, the proposed airport would not be required to comply with CRZ standards because it would be located distant from the high tide line.
To promote Jagannath culture around the world, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build an international airport in Puri on January 1, 2021. Also, he suggested Sri Jagannath International Airport as a name.
A six-lane, high-speed highway connecting the airports in Bhubaneswar and Puri is also being planned by the government. The projected metro rail plan, which the CM unveiled on Utkal Diwas and would connect Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, and Khurda, will also be made possible by the Rs 3,600 crore road project.
Prasanta Patnaik