The State Government has initiated steps to attract investment for creation of infrastructure for boosting intra-state and inter-state civil aviation facilities.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting, presided over by Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik, here recently. Official sources said the Industrial Investment Promotion Corporation of Odisha Limited (Ipicol) in association with Civil Aviation Department has prepared a road map for facilitating investment in aviation-related activities to boost intra and inter-state trade and tourism.
In the road map, prepared for a period of 10 years from 2012-13, the proposed areas of development are creation of night-parking facility and hinterland-connectivity to establishment of aero city, maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) and refuelling hub.
Official sources said Odisha has 17 airstrips and 16 helipads. The State Government has identified nine more locations in the State to be connected through civil aviation. There are proposals to construct airports at Rayagada, Paradip, Dhamra, Angul and Kalinganagar. Upgradation of four existing airfields at Gopalpur, Jharsuguda, Barbil and Rourkela has also been proposed.
Odisha is now connected to other parts of the country through domestic flights of Indian Airlines, IndiGo and Jet Airways. Decision has been taken to incentivise the airline operators to establish connectivity to cities like Raipur, Patna, Bhopal and Ranchi.
Ipicol has been advised to explore partnership opportunities with interested airlines for connectivity to South and South-East Asia from international wing of Bhubaneswar airport. The State Government is also interested in establishing air connectivity to towns like Jharsuguda, Koraput, Rourkela and Rayagada in the first phase.
Official sources said the State has initiated action to encourage private players to utilise air-cargo routes and develop world-class cargo hubs in Odisha. In recent days, growth of international trade has boosted prospects for air-cargo market in India. Odisha has opportunities to have a good share in cargo market.
The State Government has decided to facilitate establishment of cold-storage chains to handle perishable goods and durable commodities at airports. The Chief Secretary has advised Ipicol to arrange an interface with airline operators, tour operators, hotel and restaurant associations, corporate houses and chambers of commerce to assess the requirement and find out the areas for Government support.
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