Parliament Question: Land acquisition for airport at Puri and rehabilitation

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 4009 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 30th March 2026 LAND ACQUISITION FOR AIRPORT AT PURI AND REHABILITATION 4009. SHRI SUBHASISH KHUNTIA Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) whether the total land requirement for the proposed Puri Greenfield airport has been finalised and, if so, the extent of land acquired so far; (b) whether the number of families likely to be affected has been assessed and a Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) plan approved as part of the project clearances; (c) whether compliance with land acquisition and R&R provisions was verified prior to grant of 'In-Principle' approval in May, 2025; and (d) whether any safeguards have been prescribed to address displacement and environmental concerns before commencement of construction? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a) to (d): Government of Odisha (GoO) had submitted a proposal for development of a Greenfield airport at Puri at a site spread over approximately 1184 acres. Government of India (GoI) has granted Site Clearance followed by 'In-Principle' approval to GoO, as per the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008. As per this Policy, responsibility for implementation of the Greenfield airport projects including land acquisition, R&R, funding, obtaining environment clearances etc. lies with the airport developer concerned or the State Government, as the case may be. The Project proponent is also required to obtain necessary approvals/clearances/No objection from Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and any other Ministry/Statutory Body concerned before start of any construction activity. ******