Jeypore airstrip work delay irks civil aviation dept jt secy

KORAPUT: Joint secretary at the ministry of civil aviation, Usha Padhee, inspected the ongoing expansion of the Jeypore airstrip on Sunday and expressed displeasure over the delay in completion of the work.

"The expansion work was going on at a good pace but it has been delayed for some reason. I have asked the concerned officials to complete the work within the next 15 days," Padhee said. "The process to obtain a licence from the director-general of civil aviation will begin after that," she added.

Under the expansion project, the 60-year-old airstrip will see the runway widened from the existing 15 meters to 23 metres. Officials of the local public works department said a parking area, a boundary wall and a new terminal had been completed but some minor works needed to be finished.

Meanwhile, the cancellation of the Udan (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) licence of low-cost carrier Air Odisha by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has cast a shadow over the Jeypore airstrip, which is also part of the Centre's regional air connectivity scheme.

"Air Odisha had obtained a licence to operate across all airports in the state. That licence stands cancelled because of its irregular services. A new bidding process has been initiated, which will be completed around the first week of January. We are hopeful of getting some good airline to operate flights here," said Padhee. She added that once the new operator was selected, there would be no problem in starting flight services from Jeypore.

Under the Udan scheme, flight services were to have begun from Jeypore in September 2017. Spread over 60 acres of land, the airstrip became functional in 1962 during the inception of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at Sunabeda in the district. In the mid-Eighties, an 18-seater Vaydoot flight would fly between the town and Bhubaneswar but the service was discontinued after two years.

Located at a height of over 800 meters above sea level, the Jeypore airstrip is one of the few in the country to be situated in a hilly area. At present, it is used only during VVIPs visits.