A part of Malipada near Khurda (beside NH-5), where the state government plans the mega airport. Pictures by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, July 8: The state government has revived its proposal for a bigger second airport for the city, nearly 40km from Biju Patnaik Airport.

The need for a new airport has been felt because wide-bodied aircraft such as A380 will find it difficult to land at the existing facility that has a runaway length of 9,000 feet. Bigger planes will require a minimum runaway length of 10,500 feet.

Sources said the state government had initiated the process for a new airport at Malipada on the city outskirts a few years ago. The proposed airport, to be set up over 2,000 acres, will serve Bhubaneswar’s needs in future when the population will be much higher.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked the state government for more land to expand the existing runway at Biju Patnaik Airport. But, acquiring land for the purpose within the city seems impossible considering opposition from the nearby villages. The only alternative seems to be a new airport.

Development commissioner Injeti Srinivas said: “The plan is for the future when the present airport will be congested. But, we have to keep the land for the purpose, so that it is readily available when required.” He said the area around Malipada, the proposed site of the airport, had to be included in the comprehensive development plan of Bhubaneswar, because this had to be a restricted zone. He said it should not suffer from any development related issues that the existing airport faces.

Vice-chairman of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority Vishal Kumar Dev told The Telegraph that earlier, there had been communication between his organisation and the AAI’s executive director on a feasibility study for the proposed airport.

The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation is supposed to acquire land for the purpose.

The proposal for a bigger airport has received a boost with the Prime Minister’s meeting on targets for infrastructure (for the financial year 2013-14) allocating Rs 20,000 crore for eight greenfield and 51 low-cost airports in various parts of the country.

Planning member of the AAI S. Raheja said greenfield airports were those that were developed from scratch. “We get to know about them once the state governments come to us with the proposal. Our involvement is limited to giving the feasibility report. We don’t know if Odisha is adopting the same formula,” he said.

Premananda Khuntia, joint secretary (aviation) of the state government, said: “The Khurda tehsildar has so far identified 840 acres for the proposed site and we may go for a special drive in near future to acquire more land.” He said the site was near Malipada Square on NH-5 where IIT Bhubaneswar was once looking for land. Most of the area is under cashew plantation.

The state government has asked the public works department to take up the repair and maintenance of 16 airstrips located in the state. On the other hand, it plans to develop Jharsuguda airport, in collaboration with the AAI, in next two years. As far as the development of Jeypore airstrip is concerned, more land might be required.

The government has also decided to upgrade the Rasgovindpur airstrip in Mayurbhanj district, so that the British-era facility can be used for relief operations during natural calamities.