Bhubaneswar, April 4 -- Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakta Charan Das has strongly criticized the central government's Stage-I clearance for the proposed Sri Jagannath International Airport in Puri, citing potential environmental, cultural, and legal challenges.
Addressing the media, Das warned that the airport project, which involves diverting 27.787 hectares of forest land, could cause significant ecological damage to the state. He accused the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of imposing "another burden" on Odisha's residents.
The planned Greenfield airport, spread across 1,164 acres, is expected to handle 4.6 million passengers annually in its first phase. While the approval comes with condition...