Bhubaneswar: Amid backlash over delays to operationalise various airstrips, the state government has instructed three of its officials to visit the spots and check the progress of work there and report on the current position.
Sources in the General Administration (GA) department said that a three-member team of bureaucrats, comprising GA special secretary, GA additional secretary (civil aviation) and works department EIC-cum secretary, will undertake a field visit to the airstrips at Jeypore, Utkela and Sativata in the state to review land acquisition, improvement of infrastructure and runway expansion plans of these airstrips.
The officials will visit these places November 30.
Notably, the government directive comes in the wake of chief secretary AP Padhi’s review meeting on development of various airstrips in the state October 24.
Following the review meeting the state government had announced that the Jharsuguda airstrip will be used for regional connectivity under UDAN scheme and flight operations from the airstrip will commence from this month. The Jharsuguda airstrip will be developed into a full-fledged airport by April, 2018.
Besides, officials informed that the airstrips at Rourkela, Jeypore and Utkela would also be developed under UDAN scheme for regional air connectivity.
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