Odisha kicks off land acquisition process for proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport at Puri

BHUBANESWAR: In a big push for the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport at Puri, the state government has begun the process for land acquisition following favourable obstacle limitation surfaces (OLS) survey.Around 1,164 acre including 68 acre of forest land and 221.48 acre private land will be acquired for the greenfield project in Sipasarubali and Sandhapur areas under Brahmagiri tehsil.

The project has been put on fast track with a target for completion by 2025. Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for the mega airport project was completed by the National Institute of Rural Development and Environmental Science (NIRDES) under Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies for acquisition of private land.

The project also requires private land acquisition that includes 153.37 acre in Sipasarubali and 68.11 acre in Sandhapur. However, no rehabilitation and resettlement is required as the land parcels are free of human habitations.

An official associated with the project said the land acquisition application has been submitted after the SIA and all favourable assessment reports, including feasibility study and OLS survey.The location selected for the airport is away from the high tide line which means it would not require coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms compliance.

“Demarcation of forest land to be acquired has been completed and the process will begin soon for forest and environment clearances,” sources said.

The state government has proposed the Ministry of Civil Aviation to construct the airport in accordance with the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008. As per the policy, the responsibility of implementation and funding of the project rests with the airport developer concerned including the respective state government (in case the state government is the project proponent).  

As per initial estimate, the airport will be built at a cost of around Rs 5,631 crore. While it would generate employment for 6,300 people during the construction phase, more than 25,000 people will be employed during the operational phase.  

As Puri is being developed as a world-class heritage city, the new airport became necessary since Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar has reached its design capacity limit and there is little scope to expand it. The state government has also decided to connect both the Puri and Bhubaneswar airports with a high speed expressway.  

Though an airport at Puri has been a long-standing demand, it started taking shape in 2021 after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up the international airport keeping in view of high tourist footfall in the pilgrim city in future.

BHUBANESWAR: In a big push for the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport at Puri, the state government has begun the process for land acquisition following favourable obstacle limitation surfaces (OLS) survey.Around 1,164 acre including 68 acre of forest land and 221.48 acre private land will be acquired for the greenfield project in Sipasarubali and Sandhapur areas under Brahmagiri tehsil. The project has been put on fast track with a target for completion by 2025. Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for the mega airport project was completed by the National Institute of Rural Development and Environmental Science (NIRDES) under Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies for acquisition of private land. The project also requires private land acquisition that includes 153.37 acre in Sipasarubali and 68.11 acre in Sandhapur. However, no rehabilitation and resettlement is required as the land parcels are free of human habitations.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); An official associated with the project said the land acquisition application has been submitted after the SIA and all favourable assessment reports, including feasibility study and OLS survey.The location selected for the airport is away from the high tide line which means it would not require coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms compliance. “Demarcation of forest land to be acquired has been completed and the process will begin soon for forest and environment clearances,” sources said. The state government has proposed the Ministry of Civil Aviation to construct the airport in accordance with the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008. As per the policy, the responsibility of implementation and funding of the project rests with the airport developer concerned including the respective state government (in case the state government is the project proponent).   As per initial estimate, the airport will be built at a cost of around Rs 5,631 crore. While it would generate employment for 6,300 people during the construction phase, more than 25,000 people will be employed during the operational phase.   As Puri is being developed as a world-class heritage city, the new airport became necessary since Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar has reached its design capacity limit and there is little scope to expand it. The state government has also decided to connect both the Puri and Bhubaneswar airports with a high speed expressway.   Though an airport at Puri has been a long-standing demand, it started taking shape in 2021 after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up the international airport keeping in view of high tourist footfall in the pilgrim city in future.