AAI team identifies land for Srikakulam airport

Srikakulam: The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has reportedly identified a land parcel between Mandasa and Vajrapukotturu mandals for the proposed airport in Srikakulam district.A five-member team of officials from AAI visited Bidimi in Mandasa mandal and Anakapalli village in Vajrapukotturu mandal recently, and are learnt to have found the land parcel in the area suitable for the airport, which needs about 1,384 acres. Around 300 acres of govt land is said to be part of the identified land parcel, while another 1,100 acres would be acquired from locals.AAI officials, headed by DGM Parvinder and accompanied by Malkit Singh, KP Venkata Raman, Sunil Kumar, and Sheik Abdul Azeez examined the land parcels in five villages in Mandasa and Vajrapukotturu mandals, the maps of which were given to them by the district administration. They verified the water resources, groundwater availability, and other aspects for the airport project.The team will submit a feasibility report to the Union civil aviation ministry soon. If the airport comes into operation, Palasa area would get international recognition as it would act as a link between Bhubaneswar and Bhogapuram airports. Srikakulam airport would also be useful for defence purpose, and can aid the Navy and military base at Gopalpur in Odisha during emergency situations. A six-lane road from Mulapeta port to Bhogapuram airport is also proposed as part of the coastal corridor development project.The proposed airport would be particularly useful for Palasa area which exports cashew products of over Rs 500 crore annually. Apart from this, the Centre has released Rs 24 crore towards modernisation of Palasa railway station, which will further enhance the facilities for the public. The modernization of the railway station is going on at a fast pace.