BHUBANESWAR: The state government will soon conduct a bird hazard study for the proposed international airport in Puri and submit its report to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for necessary approvals for the project.
The study was sought by the expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the ministry as one of the additional conditions for grant of combined Environment Clearance and Coastal Regulation Zone (EC plus CRZ) for development of the Shree Jagannath International Airport (SJIA) at Sipasarubali in Puri.
The state Commerce and Transport department, the project proponent of the airport, has been asked to undertake the bird hazard study involving a reputed institute in the field, and submit the report to the integrated regional office of MoEFCC along with the first six-monthly compliance. “The plan shall be implemented at the project cost,” the EAC has stated in its 148th meeting.
The Commerce and Transport department had earlier informed EAC that the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) undertook a comprehensive study on the proposed project area and that it will strictly implement appropriate environmental protection measures to safeguard migratory birds and their habitats in and around the project.
Apart from the bird hazard study, the project proponent has also been asked to follow all the conditions stipulated by the Odisha Coastal Zone Management Authority (OCZMA) under CRZ notification 2019.
The Transport department has also been asked to consult the state Forest department for guidance in plantation of trees to be carried out around the site.
Sources said around 13,504 trees of 1,291 species will be felled for the development of the project at the identified site. However, the EAC has made it clear that plantation will be taken up in accordance with the regional marine ecosystem and only those trees will be planted that are native to the geographical region.
The department has been asked to comply with the conditions provided in the 145th meeting of the EAC in June, as well as the additional conditions stipulated by the committee in its 148th meeting held recently for the grant of combined Environmental Clearance and Coastal Regulation Zone (EC plus CRZ) to the project.