Puri Greenfield Airport Project Moves Closer to Construction
Puri Collector Dibyajyoti Parida said the forest-related issues associated with the project had been resolved and the district administration was now awaiting the final clearance before construction work could begin.
Bhubaneswar: The proposed greenfield airport at Puri in Odisha has moved a step closer to construction with the resolution of forest-related issues and environmental and coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearances for the ambitious project.
Puri Collector Dibyajyoti Parida said on Tuesday that the forest-related issues associated with the project had been resolved and the district administration was now awaiting the final clearance before construction work could begin.
“The administration is currently waiting for the final clearance, after which work on the airport is expected to begin soon in coordination with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Commerce and Transport Department,” Parida said.
The airport is proposed at Sipasarubali mouza along the Puri-Brahmagiri road, on the outskirts of Puri, one of India’s most important pilgrimage and tourism destinations.
The project is spread over approximately 1,464.621 acres.
The proposed airport has already received Stage-I approval, while the latest environmental and CRZ clearances have addressed some of the key regulatory hurdles that had held up the project.
According to the district administration, issues relating to forest land and other pending matters have now been addressed.
Officials are coordinating with the AAI and the state Commerce and Transport Department to complete the remaining formalities and facilitate the start of construction.
Once operational, the airport is expected to significantly improve air connectivity to Puri, which attracts millions of pilgrims and tourists every year, particularly for the Jagannath Temple and the annual Rath Yatra.
At present, visitors flying to Odisha for Puri generally use the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar and travel by road or rail to Puri.
The proposed airport is expected to provide a more direct air access to the pilgrim city and strengthen its position as a major tourism destination.
The project is also being viewed as an important infrastructure intervention for Odisha’s tourism economy, with the state seeking to expand connectivity to its religious, cultural and coastal destinations.
With the major environmental, CRZ and forest-related issues having progressed, the focus is now on securing the final approval.
Once the remaining process is completed, construction of the long-awaited airport is expected to begin, officials said.
