Bhubaneswar, April 6: The state will have its first high-rise building with a helipad by the end of August.
The 18-storey building with a helipad on the top will be constructed in Mancheswar on an area of 4,68,000 sqft at the new commercial complex -Tower 2010 - of the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco).
The building will be rented out exclusively to information technology (IT) companies and those catering to IT-enabled services.
Idco chief general manager Ratan Kumar Agarwal said: "This is for the first time such a helipad is coming up in the state. The construction of the helipad is complete and it will be put to test after getting the requisite permission from the ministry of civil aviation."
Speaking about the response to Idco's latest endeavour, Agarwal said: "We have received a number of proposals from IT companies for space."
Talking about the helipad, he said initially it would be used for fire-fighting purposes only. "If a fire breaks out on the 15th or 16th floor, it will be difficult for firemen to reach there. In case of such emergencies the helipad will be a big help. The helipad has been built keeping the future growth of Bhubaneswar in mind," said Agarwal.
Assistant fire officer, Bhubaneswar, Ramesh Majhi said: "A helipad has become essential in high-rise buildings. Firemen can descend from choppers and rescue people trapped on top floors during emergencies. The concept of building helipads in high-rise building should be encouraged."
Majhi said the Odisha Fire Service has already inducted two modern Bronto fire-fighting trucks from Finland to tackle mishaps in high-rises.
On the other hand, Idco officials said that apart from being used to fight flames, a small chopper with passengers could also land at the helipad.
"As major IT companies will have their offices in the complex, their top bosses might prefer taking choppers to land on such buildings to save time," Agarwal said.
In another development, the state government has received proposals from US-based Alcor Inc and L&T Constructions to set up helicopter manufacturing and assembling units in the state.
Industry minister, Debi Prasad Mishra said: "We have invited these companies for discussion this month."
Sources said the state government was expecting officials of both the companies by the end of this month.
Alcor Inc had submitted its proposal for setting up helicopter manufacturing and assembling unit in August 2014 and the state government had also held a meeting to discuss the proposal in November last year.
According to the proposal, Alcor is keen to invest Rs 15,000 crore in the state for the purpose. The project has the potential for creating employment for nearly 5,000 people over seven years.
After Alcor Inc's proposal, the L&T Construction Company also submitted a proposal in this regard. The Idco is working on a detailed project report.
"If such a unit comes up it would accelerate state's industrial growth," said an official.
At present, the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) factory at Sunabeda in Koraput district is producing helicopter parts including engines.
