Rourkela: The demand for upgrading the Rourkela airport with modern facilities is gaining momentum day by day. The stakeholders now want that the airport should have facilities like an instrument landing system (ILS) to handle modern and bigger aircraft.
However, sources informed Monday that if everything moves according to plan, the ILS may be installed in October or November, this year. Sunil Kayal, the incumbent president of Rourkela Chamber of Commerce demanded that the airport must be modernised. “We need a modern airport for the city or else Rourkela will lag behind. I appeal to the Union Aviation Minister and also Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take up this issue,” said Kayal. Kayal’s plea was supported by former president of RCCI, Binod Sharma. “The installation of ILS is a must for Rourkela airport to be viable and successful in the long run. I hope that the installation will be done urgently keeping in mind Rourkela’s importance as a city,” stated Sharma. Rourkela finally got a functional airport after a long battle.
The Hockey World Cup proved a boon as a number of matches were hosted here. Organisations like Sachetan Nagarik Manch (SNM), RCCI, Paschim Odisha Sanskritik Parishad, Nila Chakra and others have been demanding for an airport for quite some time now. The demand gathered momentum once the airport at Jharsuguda started operations. Passenger response has been good since the airport here started functioning.
On most days, the Bhubaneswar-Rourkela Bhubaneswar route has over 85 per cent bookings. However, there have been disruptions in flight operations due to various technical problems. Since then, residents of this city have realised the importance of the ILS.
However, with the airport operating under multiple control – the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), Government of Odisha and AAI – decisionmaking is not all that easy. General secretary of Paschimanchal Sanskrutika Parishad (PSP), Bimal Bisi informed Monday that he has been pursuing the installation of an ILS for quite some time now. “I am continuously writing on this issue to the Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Hopefully things will happen soon,” he said. “We need the ISL as without it there will be severe glitches,” he added. Professor SK Biswal, a teacher at a private business school here pointed out that this city must have connectivity to various parts of India. “Rourkela has the potential for multiple flight connectivity. It should be utilised,” asserted Biswal.
Sources said the ILS system will be installed either in October or November at a cost of rupees six crore. The cost of maintenance would be approximately rupees one crore per annum, they added. The sources also informed that the Odisha government has agreed to bear the entire installation cost.