In a letter, state chief secretary, G C Pati has urged the Ministry of Defence to direct Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Sunabeda to expand the airstrip. It is located on the side of Visakhapatnam- Jagdalpur National Highway and lies between Raipur and Visakhapatnam air corridor.
“The development of this airstrip including its expansion will facilitate the landing of Avro and other category of aircrafts. The state government would like to have the airstrip developed so that it is fit for commercial operations. In this connection, it is suggested that HAL may be advised to expand this airstrip to facilitate transport of engines by air instead of road”, Pati wrote to G Mohan Kumar, secretary, department of defence production, Ministry of Defence.
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It may be noted that the engines manufactured at HAL, Sunabeda are transported by road to Visakhapatnam where the equipment are airlifted to its destinations. It also uses the airstrip for shipment of material and other purposes whenever required.
Last year, the state government had sought technical and financial help from Airports Authority of India (AAI) to upgrade the Jeypore airstrip into a commercial airport, citing its proximity to top industrial sites in the state.
Apart from HAL, major industries like aluminium major National Aluminium Company (Nalco) and paper manufacturer Ballarpur Industries Ltd (BILT) also have their operations in Koraput district. The state government has already announced its plan to upgrade both Jharsuguda and Jeypore airstrips to full-fledged airports. Besides, it has plans to develop mini-airports at Paradip, Dhamra and Kalinganagar.
Presently, there are about 12 functional airstrips and 16 helipads in the state. The state government is working on a dedicated policy for development of civil aviation.
In July 2014, the Odisha government had signed an agreement with AAI for developing a no-frills airport at Jharsuguda at a cost of Rs 210 crore. Of this, the state government will provide Rs 75 crore.