Paradip port town

Paradip, Oct. 3: The much-awaited airstrip project will be shifted to Kujang, 15km from Paradip port, as it has failed to take off in the port township owing to unavailability of suitable and contiguous land.

The required 450 acres were nowhere to be found in and around the port township, said an official of the state revenue department.

“The government is intent on setting up an airstrip in this strategic industrial hub. As we are unable to find the required land here, the project is being shifted to adjoining Kujang. The administration is looking for the land to meet the suitability and requirement of the airstrip,” Paradip additional district magistrate Surajit Das said.

In 2008, the state government initiated the process for the airstrip. However, things have hardly moved an inch since then.

“Though land is available at Bhitargada revenue village on the outskirts of the port township, it is not suitable for the project. The unfavourable soil condition and its location near industrial houses had emerged as major deterrents,” Das said.

Besides, the Paradip Port Trust has laid a legal claim on the Bhitargada land though the state-run Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation owned it, he said.

A suitable 450-acre stretch is located near Kujang. It has been earmarked for the proposed airstrip, and the legal process, initiated to acquire it, another official said. The land’s inherent soil condition is not conducive for aircraft take-off and landing, he said.

Moreover, the Bhitargada land is found unsuitable as two major fertiliser factories are located near the proposed airstrip. It does not meet the aviation yardsticks. The selected spot is also a marshy wasteland.

“As an airstrip is a vital ingredient considering fast-faced industrial growth of Paradip and the neighbouring areas, the project has been prioritised on the administration’s agenda. The port trust is also planning to have an airstrip of its own. The state government is also intent on having an airstrip near Paradip,” Das said.

With the Centre bracketing Paradip under mega-petroleum, chemicals and petro-chemical investment region, the importance of this town has gone up manifold. Moreover, the town is on the verge of becoming an industrial hub with two major steel projects, oil refinery and scores of ancillary industrial units queuing up to set up base here.