No airline bid to operate flights from Tusura airstrip: Min
2
Bhubaneswar: No airline has evinced interest to operate flights from the Tusura airstrip in Odisha's Balangir district, though the facility was enlisted under the regional connectivity scheme, Union minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
In response to a question from RS member Niranjan Bishi, a native of Balangir district, about whether Tusura airstrip will be operational, the minister wrote, "Under the regional connectivity scheme-Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN), Tusura airstrip in Odisha is available in the list of unserved airstrips in the UDAN document. No airline bidder submitted proposals to operate RCS flights from the airstrip to date.
As per the provisions of the scheme, revival/upgradation of unserved and underserved airports is undertaken upon its identification through a valid bid and award to the selected airline operator. In case any airline submits a valid proposal for the operation of RCS flights connecting Tusura airstrip in future bidding rounds, the same can be considered as per the UDAN scheme provisions."
Tusura, 45km from Balangir town, is near the Utkela airstrip in Kalahandi district, which is also an operational RCS destination.
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The previous govt had sanctioned Rs 65 crore for the renovation and modernisation of Tusura.
Responding to a question from RS member Manas Ranjan Mangaraj, Mohol said a total of 32 routes in Odisha and 90 routes in the northeastern region (NER) were operationalised under RCS.
"The budget allocated for the RCS-UDAN in the financial year 2025-26 is Rs 300 crore. RCS-UDAN aims to bring air connectivity to tier-2 and tier-3 cities, including tribal areas, by taking up existing airstrips which are identified through UDAN bidding rounds," the reply read.
Mangaraj asked whether the govt identified new air routes under UDAN in Odisha and the northeast and the details of proposed and operational routes.
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