BHAWANIPATNA: The Utkela Airstrip in the district will be included in Central Government’s next round of ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik’ (UDAN) scheme. This has rekindled hopes of Kalahandi residents that the airport will become functional soon.
The decision to include Utkela Airstrip in Centre’s next round of UDAN scheme (UDAN-4) was taken in a meeting between Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Khairola and Chief Secretary of Odisha AK Tripathy on Friday.
The Civil Aviation Ministry had allotted Rs 16 crore for developing the airstrip in 2016-17 of which more than Rs 6 crores has already been spent on construction of a 900-metre long runway, terminal building, control room, overhead water tank, restroom, fire service barracks, taxiway and boundary wall.
PWD Executive Engineer Ajit Babu said work on the airstrip is in advance stage and the airstrip is ready for operation of 18-seater aircraft. However, work on the approach road to the terminal is pending owing to delay in land acquisition and will be completed soon.
Convenor of Shining Kalahandi Bhawani Nial said the airstrip will help locals travel to Bhubaneswar and Raipur in a short time on affordable prices. This will also boost commercial activities, tourism and higher education, he said.