The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone Clearance for the development of the greenfield Shree Jagannath International Airport on 471.348 ha of land in Sipasarubali, Puri District.
MoEF’s approval was based on the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC)’s recommendation, which granted both Environmental Clearance and Coastal Regulation Zone Clearance to the project, subject to the following specific conditions.
The proposed greenfield airport is being developed in a phase-wise manner near Sipasarubali village on the outskirts of the coastal town of Puri. The existing Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), Bhubaneswar, is situated at an aerial distance of approximately 50 kms and road distance of 67 kms from proposed airport site.
Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had accorded a site clearance certificate for this proposed airport site. The passenger traffic expected for the first phase is estimated to be 4.6 million passengers per annum (MPPA). The proposed project area is 471.348 ha, out of which 353. 862 ha is government land.
MoEF’s clearance has come amidst environmental concerns. A Wildlife Institute of India study said migratory birds could pose huge risk to flights as the location of airport is in close proximity to the Chilka Lake, a Ramsar Site and a wetland of international importance.
“The project proponent shall prepare a bird hazard study from reputed institute in the field and shall be submitted to MoEFCC along with the first six-monthly compliance report,” MoEF laid the condition while granting approval.
The committee instructed the project proponent to conduct a detailed study on bird migration in the area and submit the same to the regional office of the Civil Aviation Ministry. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) is undertaking a comprehensive study on the proposed project area.
The project proponent would strictly implement appropriate environmental protection measures to safeguard migratory birds and their habitats in and around the project site, based on the recommendations of the study report. These measures must be designed in consultation with relevant ecological and wildlife experts and incorporated into the Environmental Management Plan.
“The plantation species in and around proposed site should be carefully chosen to avoid bird nesting and to improve pollution control and noise control measures. Water-intensive and invasive species should not be used for landscaping,” a condition of approval says.
Further, the EAC discussed the shoreline protection mitigation measures for the proposed area. “In this regard, the PP informed that gaps along the shore shall be filled with the plantation of trees such as Casuarina. The committee has directed that PP should consult Odisha’s Forest Department for guidance to ensure that tree plantation is carried out in accordance with the regional marine ecosystem,” the MoEF says.
Published – October 08, 2026 09:42 am IST
