ROURKELA: Chances of expansion and upgradation of SAIL’s Rourkela airport into the 4C licence category have brightened after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi gave positive signals in this regard recently.
Talking on the sidelines of the final of Hockey India League here on February 1, the chief minister said the state government was aware of the agitation demanding the upgradation of Rourkela airport.
Describing the demand as legitimate, he said, “It has come to my mind several times that despite being a big and smart city, Rourkela is yet to have an upgraded airport with all-weather and night operation. I have considered this issue.”
Majhi said the state government would soon review the ways for making it an independent big airport. The government would also take up the issue with the ministries of Civil Aviation and Steel for further progress. “In the coming days, we are planning to take a big move in this regard.” In another recent development, the chairman of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) also met Union Tribal Affairs Minister and Sundargarh MP Jual Oram for a detailed discussion on the Rourkela airport issue.
Re-elected to the Lok Sabha for the sixth time in 2024, Oram has intensified efforts for upgradation of the airport and vigorously taken up the issue with the BJP government in Odisha.
He has been prodding the Ministry of Civil Aviation for licence upgradation of the airport from the present ARC 2C to ARC 4C for the operation of bigger aircraft and transfer of ownership of the airport from SAIL to the AAI.
In December last year, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu had met Oram and reportedly held a discussion on the Rourkela airport issue.
President of BJP’s Panposh organisational district Latika Patnaik said during his visit to the district, the CM also advised the director-in-charge of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of SAIL Atul Verma and Sundargarh collector Manoj S Mahajan to take steps for surrendering the required land to the state government for transfer to AAI for expansion of the airport.