Post News Network
Jeypore, Feb 7: The district administration has stepped up efforts to implement a plan to expand the Jeypore airstrip. In compliance with the direction of the state government, Koraput collector Yamini Sarangi along with Jeypore sub-collector Poma Tudu, tehsildar Rabi Narayan Majhi and other officials of the revenue department Saturday visited several villages near the airstrip.
These villages are likely to be affected by the expansion project.
The administration has to acquire land in these villages for implementing the project. As a result, several families here will be displaced. Collector herself visited these villages and inspected the land needed to be acquired for the project.
She first went to Bankabija village and then went to Sauraguda. Thereafter, she went to Pattanayakguda village. Asked whether the villagers would be compensated for the land they would lose for the airstrip expansion, Sarangi said the villagers should not create hindrance in implementation of the project.
She further said the administration has never used force to acquire land for the project. She gave assurance that all affected people would be compensated by the government.
It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had met then Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh in September, 2012 and urged him to take steps for development of Jeypore and Gopalpur airstrips.
Thereafter, a team of Airport Authority of India staff came to Jeypore January 15, 2013 to conduct the feasibility study for the project. The team had recommended expanding the length of Jeypore airstrip from present 3,000 ft to 4,500-5,000 ft and its width from 50 ft to 150 ft.
It was said that the state government would have to first give a proposal to the Centre. Thereafter, the latter would prepare a draft memorandum of understanding. After signing the MoU, the state government would have to hand over 400 acres of land and `50 crore to the Airport Authority of India for start of the work. In the second phase, the state government would have to provide remaining 200 acres for the project.
In 2014, the district administration had prepared a report in which it had stated that 455 acres of land would be needed to implement the expansion plan.