Puri After receiving policy-level clearance from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport in Puri has taken a significant step forward. The queries raised by the Expert Appraisal Committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change during their field visit have now been addressed by the Department of Commerce and Transport.
In April, the Central Committee had conducted a site inspection and submitted a positive report on the project, though they had raised a few concerns. Since the Odisha government has submitted detailed responses to those queries, the path is now clear for obtaining final environmental clearance for the project.
The central team had visited the proposed airport site at Sipasarubali in Brahmagiri Block of Puri district and had made some recommendations regarding environmental measures to be undertaken.
Concerns were raised regarding the possible impact of the airport’s construction on Shree Jagannath Temple, Chilika Lake, and the nesting grounds of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles. The team had also sought detailed studies and reports regarding potential disruptions to bird migration and the air traffic corridor in the region.
Experts later reported that the likelihood of adverse impacts on Shree Jagannath Temple was minimal, but still recommended that the opinion of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) be taken into account.
All these concerns and queries have now been addressed by the Department of Transport and submitted to the Central Ministry of Environment. A request has been made for final approval of the project, and the recommendation is under consideration for implementation.