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Bhubaneswar, Oct 7: The proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport in Puri has received the final environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, removing a major hurdle for the ambitious greenfield airport project.
The airport is planned at Sipasarubali in Puri district over an area of around 471.348 hectares. The clearances are expected to help the Odisha government move forward with the next stages of the project.
Puri Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida said the project has received both environmental clearance and CRZ clearance. Forest-related matters connected with the project have also been addressed, with further approvals now awaited before construction activities can formally begin.
The state government is expected to seek the necessary No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the concerned ministry and approach the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for approval to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
The construction process will be taken forward in coordination with the AAI and the state Transport Department.
The project had earlier received Stage-I, or in-principle, forest approval for the diversion of around 27.887 hectares of forest land in the Puri Wildlife Division for the airport’s development.
The forest clearance was subject to the implementation of prescribed environmental and wildlife protection measures. These include mitigation measures and recommendations arising from impact assessments and a site-specific wildlife management plan.
The plan was prepared in line with recommendations from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
The latest environmental and CRZ clearances mark an important step for the Puri airport project. Once the remaining approvals and preparatory processes are completed, the project can move closer to the construction stage.
The proposed airport is expected to strengthen connectivity to Puri, one of Odisha’s major tourism and pilgrimage destinations, and could support tourism, business activity and wider economic development in the region.
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