Rasgovindpur Airport, located in the Mayurbhanj district of the state of Odisha, is shortly to be operational.
On November 22, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) granted the state working approval to construct the airstrip on 160.35 acres of property owned by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
The Defence Ministry has given the state administration permission to reopen a World War II airstrip that is currently inactive close to Amarda Road in Rasgovindpur, about 45 kilometers from the Baripada.
When fully operational, the airport will give travelers access to Chandipur, Talsari Beach, and major tourist spots including the Simlipal National Park and Kuldiha Sanctuary in northern Odisha.
The MoD was requested to instruct the DRDO to issue a no-objection certificate so that the airstrip may be revived for use in flights as part of the center’s regional connectivity program, Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik, according to The Indian Express (RCS-UDAN).
The state of Odisha is required to pay the MoD compensation in the amount of Rs 26 crore.
According to historians, the airport was built by the British Royal Airforce during World War II and used as a forward airfield until the war ended in 1945.
Anil Dhir, a historian and academic, claims that this airport’s runway, which is more than 2.5 kilometers long, is the longest in Asia. Over 60 km were covered by the combined length of the runways, taxiways, and aprons. Around 800 acres make up the Amarda Road airfield, as it was known during the conflict. Its construction cost three crore rupees in the 1940s, but it was ultimately demolished after the war.
News Mania Desk
