Odisha govt to upgrade 3 airstrips into commercial airports

The Odisha government is planning to upgrade three existing airstrips into commercial airports. The airstrips are Jeypore in Koraput, Rangailunda near Berhampur and Raisuan near Keonjhar district.

The state govt would soon send a proposal to the Centre in this regard, official sources said. The issue was discussed at the all secretaries meet chaired by chief secretary G C Pati in Bhubaneswar. The state government has agreed to provide required infrastructure to upgrade the airstrips.

Though Odisha has 17 airstrips, so far only the Biju Patnaik International Airport is in operational stage.

As the existing Rangailunda airstrip near Berhampur is not viable for expansion, the state governmnet has has identified over 500 acre at a new location on Berhampur-Gopalpur road in Kanisi tehsil of Ganjam district.

The state has proposed to extend the length of Jeypore airstrip to 6500 ft from the existing 3000 ft. For safety and security of airports, the boundary walls would also be constructed.

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