An aircraft approaches the airport near the OUAT rice field in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, May 27: Researchers at the Odisha University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT) have expressed concern over losing farmland meant for crops, especially rice varieties, to the expanding boundary wall of the Biju Patnaik Airport.

In the 90s, the university had lost a huge patch of land, including a rice research station, completely to the runway expansion. The present expansion measuring nearly 16 acres will again put pressure on the research in the university, as almost all the highland rice varieties will be lost in the process.

University sources said staff of the general administration department, the owner of government land in the capital, surveyed the area two weeks ago and put demarcation mark on the farmland. It would be around 150-metres wide and from the starting point of the expanded runway up to the new road connecting City Women’s College and Gandamunda.

“In the 90s, we lost around 30 acres for the expansion of the runway as it was till the airport road connecting Siripur and Gandamunda. However, after the expansion was done the rice research station was given land from the Gram Sevak Training Centre, which was in turn given land near Deras Farm on the outskirts of the city,” said a senior scientist of the OUAT farm.

Head of plant breeding, OUAT, P.K. Das said: “The current acquisition of land by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will hamper the rice research, mainly upland varieties. Two farm ponds will also be lost in the acquisition process. Even if some other land is provided, the breeders will lose their valuable time.”

OUAT vice-chancellor D.P. Ray said: “Only an acre or little more than that would be taken over by AAI.”

Regarding loss of farmland to the new airport expansion plan, he said: “There is no such plan and I am not aware of that.”

On the other hand, university registrar Sangram Keshari Ray admitted that the land was already taken over by the general administration department.

“All government lands belong to them and they have asked us for the transfer. So, we had no option, but regarding the provision of alternative plan to rice research, something will be decided in coordination with other research departments,” he added.

Airport director V.N. Chandran said the land from the side of the OUAT farm would be taken to facilitate construction of a parallel taxiway, which would ensure better safety for the aircraft landing management in the airport.

“At present, an aircraft takes six to seven minutes after landing to vacate the runway as it has to come slowly towards the designated exit area. With the parallel taxiway, the aircraft, within seconds of landing, can vacate the runway. It will also minimise costs in landing operations,” said an airport official.

“In the past, we were hearing that the international airport has already been planned somewhere on the outskirts, but again the present airport will be designated as the international airport. However, only the land of the agriculture university is falling prey to the plan and we suspect that even after acquiring two patches — 15.8 and 5.9 hectares — the authorities may go for more acquisition in future,” said another senior professor of OUAT.