Post News Network
New Delhi / Bhubaneswar, July 31: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to invest Rs 255 crore to upgrade Jharsudga airstrip.
The project, for which an MoU was signed July 30, 2015, between the state government and AAI, is being undertaken with the primary objective of connecting western Orissa with the rest of the state and neighbouring states such as West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
Once completed, Jharsuguda will be the second major airport in the state after the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar.
The work, which will be done in two phases, is planned to be completed in two years, according to AAI officials in Bhubaneswar.
The state government will transfer 118.75 acres of land to AAI for the completion of Phase-I of the project. It will transfer another 177 acres of land for the development of airport under Phase-II, according to the MoU.
AAI will invest around `80 crore in the first phase to make it suitable for the operation of 15-30 seater
aircraft.
The phase I work will involve construction and strengthening of the runway, apron and associated facilities at the airport. It will also involve construction of new terminal buildings, isolation bay, new technology blocks, control tower and fire station, as well as upgradation of navigational aids and visual aids for the operation of flights, according to AAI officials at Bhubaneswar.
Runway work will begin by September end and terminal work will start by October.
The tender process for the proposed airport has started and is expected to be completed in two months, said AAI sources. Construction of the boundary wall of the airport has already started, they said.
In the second phase, AAI plans to invest Rs 175 crore to convert it into a full-fledged airport by building a new terminal and air traffic control tower.
Three chartered airline companies — Spirit Air, JAC Air and Air Orissa — have operations at the Jharsuguda airstrip, which was used by Allied forces during World War II to check the Japanese advance.
Other airstrips in western Orissa, including Rourkela and Sambalpur, also have the potential of being developed into airports, according to sources.
