The proposed airport is intended to expand air connectivity for Puri, a major pilgrimage and tourism destination
Puri airport project gets environmental clearance: The proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport in Puri has received final environmental clearance. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has granted final environmental clearance for the project, paving the way for its implementation.
The greenfield airport will be developed over 471.34 hectare area at an estimated cost of Rs 5, 631 crore in Puri’s Sipasarubali. It is designed to handle an estimated 4.6 million passengers a year. Puri collector Dibyajyoti Parida said the environmental clearance had been accorded for the project. But a no-objection certificate from the environment ministry would be required before the project could proceed, he added. The Airports Authority of India will also give the go-ahead for preparation of the detailed project report, which is required before construction work is taken up said collector.
The airport’s land requirement includes areas for both the runway and passenger terminal building. Officials said 3.427 hectares of forest land would be needed for the runway and 0.037 hectare for the terminal building. The total space required for the runway is estimated at 114.961 hectares.
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The clearance follows a sequence of environmental approvals. The project received stage-one environmental clearance from the ministry on April 4. Before that, the forest ministry granted in-principle approval in June last year. Following this the expert appraisal committee recommended environmental clearance on May 6. According to the collector, conditions attached to the stage-one clearance have since been fulfilled, allowing the project to receive final clearance.
The proposed airport is intended to expand air connectivity for Puri, a major pilgrimage and tourism destination. However, the construction start date, an inauguration timeline or the status of land acquisition beyond the clearance-related requirements has not yet disclosed.
