Odisha: Patnaik Inaugurates New Malkangiri Airport

Bhubaneswar/ Malkangiri, Jan 9 (PTI) Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday inaugurated the Malkangiri airport in the southwestern part of Odisha.

Spread over an area of 233 acre, the airport is located in Katelguda in Goudaguda panchayat area. It has been developed at a cost of Rs 70 crore, and has a 1620-meter long and 30-metre wide runway, an official said.

In the first phase, nine-seater aircraft are likely to operate from the airport, he added.

With this, the number of operational airports in the state has gone up to seven. The other six are located in Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda, Jeypore in Koraput, Utkela in Kalahandi, Rourkela in Sundergarh and Rangeilunda in Ganjam.

Patnaik said the new airport was a "dream come true" for the people of the tribal-dominated Swabiman Anchal, once considered the hotbed of Maoist activities.

"The air connectivity to Malkangiri will usher in a new era of development, open up avenues of business and tourism, and further transform the lives of the people in the region," he said.

The authorities of the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar have provided necessary technical assistance for operationalisation of the Malkangiri airport, officials said.

This was Patnaik's second visit to Malkangiri in a span of three months. In October last year, the CM visited the district to launch affordable bus services.

Patnaik also announced a Rs 4,000-crore integrated irrigation project at Govindpalli, which will help irrigate 92,815 acre of agricultural land and provide drinking water to 1.5 lakh people.

The work for the project will start by July 2024, an official said.