Raisuan: The central government’s proposed project to upgrade small aerodromes and airports across the country under UDAAN has turned out to be a damp squib for Raisuan airstrip in Keonjhar district, a report said.
Notably, the airstrip is one of the oldest in the country. Its renovation work has allegedly been neglected. Such neglect has hurt the sentiments of the people in the district.
Reports said, Jharsuguda airport has been operationalised while development of other airports at Rourkela, Jeypore and Kalahandi is in progress. Mining and industrial experts pointed out that Raisuan airstrip is only 7 km from the Keonjhar town.
The district is rich in terms of mineral reserves and industries. Both the state and central governments have been earning thousands of crores of rupees from mining and the industrial sectors.
However, they haven’t paid any heed to the development needs of Raisuan airstrip, which bears much importance in boosting faster communication to the mining and the industrial areas, they lamented.
73 years have passed since independence, but the district has been given short shrift in almost all sectors, except mining and industries.
In view of the necessity of air connectivity for the mineral rich district, a proposal had been sent to the central government to develop the airstrip January 21, 2016.
The public works department later conducted a survey and proposed the state government for acquisition of 22 acres of land for development of the airstrip.
Following a plan to develop it as a low cost project, a delegation of the Airport Authority of India had visited the area.
In 2011-12, `1 crore was invested for building a boundary wall around the airstrip. Besides, a runway of 920X30 metre was blacktopped. Thereafter, no progress has been done, locals alleged. The length of the Raisuan airstrip is 1,062 metre and its breadth is 160 metre.
The length of the runway is 920 metre with a width of 30 metre, which is too small for big aircraft to land. The government gives only`1 lakh per year for its repair and maintenance, said sources.
Notably, many political bigwigs like Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Biju Patnaik and scores of mining barons had landed and taken off from the airstrip at different times in the past.
PNN
