The Ministry of Civil Aviation has not conducted any feasibility studies to boost drone and small aircraft logistics in cyclone and flood-prone areas, Murlidhar Moho, Minister of State civil aviation told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
To a query by Odisha RS member Sujeet Kumar on whether the Central government proposes to build dedicated drone lanes in the state of Odisha for use in medical supply delivery, disaster response, and agricultural service, the Minister said “There is no such proposal under consideration currently in the Ministry of Civil Aviation”.
The Ministry has undertaken several initiatives under the Regional Connectivity Scheme- Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) to enhance regional air connectivity in Odisha, beyond the capital city of Bhubaneswar, the Minister informed.
Four airports, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Utkela and Jeypore have already been developed and made operational under the RCS-UDAN scheme.
Three more airstrips, Rangeilunda, Amarda, and Rairangpur (Dandabose) have been identified for development to support future RCS operations.
Development work at the Rangeilunda airstrip is currently being carried out by the State Government under the UDAN scheme and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2026. The development works at Amarda, Rairangpur are in the planning stage as the land acquisition is in process by the State Government.
The Angul, Barbil, Birasal, Gudari, Hirakund, Jayakpur, Lanjigarh, Nuapada, Padampur, Raisuan, Sukinda, Therubali, Tushra, Malkangiri, Baripada and Konark airstrips in Odisha are currently available in the list of un-served airstrips in the UDAN document, the Minister concluded.