Odisha air strip under threat from mafias

Six kilometers from the pilgrimage town of Puri, also a famous tourists destination, a civil aviation department approved air strip near village Nagapatna is facing encroachment threats from land and sand mafias.

The air strip built on an area of 85 acres of land, has became a target of encroachment and illegal sand transportation.

The 1880 meter long air strip faces neglect since 1980 and all structures around it are in dilapidated condition.

Also the sand mafias are extracting sands from here leading to deep pits in the area.

“Through such unscrupulous means, the name , heritage of this temple city is being severely affected,” say, locals and experts.

Capt. Ramaballav Mohapatra , a senior pilot and Chief Flying Officer in Odisha, said that this air strip was in operation till 1978-79 and records suggest that Capt. Arjun Singh last landed here with a Dakota plane.

Regretting the condition of strip, Mohapatra said, “In a place like Puri when the demand for flight service is very much high, it is really sad to see that this air strip dying an unnatural death.”

Raghunath Rath, a school teacher said, “People have seen Morarjee Desai and Indira Gandhi have visited Puri through this air strip . Many planes landed up here but unfortunately now the whole area is under the clutch of vested interest.”

Surprisingly, the tourist officer in Puri, Bajaoy Jena, said though he heard about the air strip but has not seen any operations from here.