Bhubaneswar: Hurdles have been cleared to operationalise the Amarda Road Airstrip near Rasagobindapur in Mayurbhanj district under the RCS-UDAN scheme.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has recommended and submitted the proposal to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to grant ‘no objection certificate’ to the state government for the use of Amarda airstrip and working permission to develop a civil enclave at the airstrip.
This was informed by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, VK Singh in Rajya Sabha recently.
Singh said the state government had sought permission of MoD to use Amarda airstrip for operations under UDAN. Subsequently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation also requested MoD to consider the request of the state government for granting permission to develop a civil enclave at the airstrip, he said.
The Amarda airstrip belonging to DRDO is included in the UDAN scheme document. Bhubaneswar to Amarda (Rasagobindapur) and vice-versa route was offered as a state sponsored route under bidding round UDAN 4.1, said the Union Minister.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI), the implementing agency, has received one bid on the route. Further, the Amarda Road Airstrip is developed under “Revival of unserved and underserved airports” scheme, he added.
In February, Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra had written a letter to Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar seeking NoC from the DRDO for the commencement of commercial flight operation from the airstrip.
The airstrip, once operationalised, will facilitate tourism connectivity to important places like Similipal National Park, Kuldiha Sanctuary and Chandipur & Talasari Sea beach, boost economic growth through trade, provide jobs, increase revenues from taxes and foster the community relationship with the neighbouring states and communities.
PNN
