Puri, July 8, (OT Webdesk): The ambitious Rs 5,631-crore Shree Jagannath International Airport project in Puri is facing fresh turbulence after the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) deferred forest clearance, citing ecological sensitivities.
The greenfield airport—slated to rise near Sipasarubali—has already received a recommendation for Environmental Clearance (EC), but procedural hurdles remain.
The FAC flagged major concerns over the proposed felling of more than 13,000 trees, including casuarina and acacia, which serve as vital coastal shields during cyclones.
The site’s proximity to sensitive zones such as Olive Ridley turtle nesting sites, Irrawaddy dolphin habitats, and migratory bird routes near Chilika Lake further complicated approval.
To address these, the Odisha government has partnered with premier ecological agencies like the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Estuarine Biology Regional Centre (ZSI) to conduct environmental risk assessments.
The state has also submitted a comprehensive wildlife conservation and disaster management plan, including afforestation, biodiversity monitoring, and cyclone shelters.
Officials clarified that only 27.88 hectares of forest land will be used for core infrastructure.
They have also taken responsibility for past violations—such as a boundary wall built on forest land—and pledged to comply with Forest Conservation and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.
The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) has advised seeking additional inputs from the CRZ division of the Environment Ministry.
Once forest clearance is secured and CRZ concerns addressed, the project is expected to advance to its next phase, with a Request for Proposal (RFP) on the horizon.
