Berhampur: The proposed expansion of Rangeilunda airstrip in Gopalpur town of Ganjam district has failed to take off due to alleged negligence of the Union government. The British-era airstrip was included under UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. However, flights are unlikely to take off and land any time soon on the airstrip as the expansion of the runway is in suspended animation. The airstrip presently facilitates takeoff and landing of small flights and helicopters only. Meanwhile, the fate of the airstrip has been pushed into uncertainty and nobody knows when the expansion works will be carried out. A year back, a private firm had launched flight service on a small scale between Bhubaneswar and Rangeilunda. BJD leaders boarded the inaugural flight on the first day of launch of service and thanked the state government after their arrival in Bhubaneswar.
However, the flight service was halted soon due to high price of tickets and lack of footfall of enough fliers. The district administration started working on the revival of the airstrip and expansion of the runway last year. However, the project was abandoned soon due to unavailability of enough government land. Inflated prices of the private lands made it impossible for further acquisition. Rangeilunda airstrip, situated on the premises of Berhampur University, falls under Gopalpur Assembly constituency under the Berhampur Lok Sabha segment. Meanwhile, BJP’s Pradip Panigrahy has been elected as Berhampur MP in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. Similarly, BJP’s Bibhuti Jena, the new MLA from Gopalpur Assembly constituency, has been appointed as a minister in the first BJP government in the state.
As a result, locals have been demanding the intervention of the two leaders for the revival and expansion of the airstrip. Sources said Rangeilunda airstrip fulfils all the criteria necessary for expansion as the scenic Gopalpur beach near Berhampur is a major tourist attraction in south Odisha. It sees a footfall of tourists from the state, elsewhere in the country and abroad. Furthermore, Gopalpur port, Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL) under Union Ministry of Atomic Energy, military cantonment at Gopalpur, Berhampur and Khallikote Universities, MKCG Medical College and Hospital and various educational institutes including IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research) are all in proximity to Berhampur and Gopalpur. Berhampur, the main commercial hub in south Odisha, is visited by a host of traders and business persons.
People often travel to Bhubaneswar or Vishakhapatnam from here to catch flights to their destinations due to the absence of an airport near Berhampur. As a result, residents have been demanding for expansion and revival of the Rangeilunda airstrip for a long time. Notably, Vizianagaram MP Ashok Gajapathi Raju of TDP became the civil aviation minister in the Modi-led NDA government in 2014. He visited Berhampur to attend a programme on first Modi government’s victory celebrations June 14, 2016.
During his visit, many local residents besides BJP leaders and members of various outfits met him and submitted a memorandum demanding the expansion of the Rangeilunda airstrip. Raju then assured to take steps for the expansion of the airstrip. Since then, eight years have passed but the promise made by the former Union minister is yet to be fulfilled. The Berhampur MP thrice won as MLA of Gopalpur from BJD between 2009 and 2019 and also became a minister in the state government. He, however, did not take any steps for the expansion of the airstrip. Rather he made the expansion of the airstrip an election issue and targeted the state government during his campaigning before the 2024 elections. Meanwhile, people are waiting to see what steps Panigrahy will be taking for the airstrip as he has been elected as the BJP MP from Berhampur.