The Bharatiya Bikash Parishad on Thursday held a meeting to discuss the establishment of a domestic –cum- cargo airport in Brahmapur.
State president Surendra Panigrahi presiding over the meeting alleged that both the State and Union Governments, the elected representatives, as well as leaders of both ruling BJD and the opposition BJP were befooling the public on the establishment of an airport at Brahmapur. Panigrahi, citing documentary evidence before the mediapersons, sought an unconditional apology from the leaders who have been giving false and unrealistic assurances to the denizens of Brahmapur since last few months knowing well that unless and until the existing ‘no flying zone radius limit and restrictions on flying limit height are lifted by suitable revision of rules by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, it will be difficult to establish a domestic airport. Instead of putting pressure on the Union Government to remove these two caps, the leaders as well as some social organisations are giving baseless statements which is far from the reality, slammed Panigrahi.
Presenting documentary evidence, the Parishad claimed that, as per the Notification ENR-5-1-20 dated 1.08.2007 and its subsequent revised notification No.AMD-AIP 1/2009 dated 1.06.2009 of the Director General of Aviation, the AAI (union government) had declared a radius of 75 km from the Golabandh Army Defence College/ Cantonment as ‘no flying zone’ and considered a radius of 75 km as dangerous and declared the area as prohibited/restricted stating security and technical reasons. Accordingly, State Government in 2016 had decided to expand the existing Rangailunda Air strip, built during British regime, at an estimated cost of Rs 37.43 crore and another Rs 6 crore to be paid as compensation to those land owners who lost their land as well as home in the expansion programme. This includes Rs 24.51 lakh earmarked for run-way expansion, followed by Rs 4.99 lakh for construction of Brahmapur-Gopalpur new road and Rs 7.23 crore for land acquisition. Accordingly the DPR was prepared. It was also decided to increase the existing length of the run-way from 975 to 1,875 meter at an estimated cost of Rs 43.34 crore, the Parishad claimed.
It is not only distance, but also Union Ministry of Aviation declared up to a height of 20,000 feet from airbase as “No flying Zone” causing serious impediments for proposed new domestic airport, said Parishad.