BHUBANESWAR: Unused airstrips in different parts of the State will be used for flying training of NCC cadets. A decision in this regard was taken by the Higher Education department (DHE) and the NCC Directorate, Odisha, recently.The DHE has urged the NCC Directorate to identify such airstrips all across the State which are suitable for microlite flying and construct basic infrastructure to facilitate flying training.
In the State Advisory Committee of NCC held recently under the chairmanship of Higher Education Minister Rohit Pujari, Deputy Director General of NCC Directorate, Odisha, Commodore Somen Banerjee informed the Minister that two of the 29 NCC units in the State are air squadrons which cover eastern and western Odisha. The second air squadron was raised in western Odisha in October last year with two hangars to come up in Jharsuguda and Bhawanipatna.
The squadron has enrolled over 800 cadets this year. DG NCC had sanctioned two microlite aircrafts and one flying simulator for the squadron. One of the aircrafts allotted to the air squadron was brought to the Biju Patnaik International Airport in June this year. However, as construction of the hangars is yet to start, students from western Odisha districts have to come to Bhubaneswar every time for flying training.
Reviewing the situation, Principal Secretary Bishnupada Sethy said as airports at Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda will always remain busy and hamper training, other air strips suitable for microlite flying may be identified. He suggested airstrips at Amarda in Balasore, Birasal in Dhenkanal, Sambalpur and Jeypore.
Once the basic infrastructure is set up for training, these facilities can also be used for other purposes like disaster relief and casualty evacuation, he said. It was decided that the DHE will facilitate construction of the hangars and stowage facilities at the selected sites for the NCC and the State many use them for other contingencies.
NCC has three group headquarters - Cuttack, Sambalpur and Berhampur - and a fourth group will soon be formed in Koraput. The old sales tax office building will house the headquarter office and to renovate it, the DHE has already sanctioned `1.02 crore. It was decided that the facility will be inaugurated on January 23 next year.
It was also decided that NCC will be introduced as a general elective subject in universities and autonomous colleges. Students of colleges which do not have the infrastructure to operate the course, can pursue NCC elective in the nearest college which has the facility.