Adani's Dhamra Airport project on anvil

In order to add to its project portfolio in the airport sector, the Adani Group has proposed to set up an airport at its Dhamra Port in Odisha to speed up air connectivity in a state where there is just one airport currently. The airport coupled with the recent ground breaking for an LNG terminal and becoming part of the proposed coastal economic zone would make the port as the biggest in the country. The Adani group has sought land for for the project, principal secretary, state industries department, Sanjeev Chopra said that this apart, Jharsuguda airport is expected to start commercial operations by April 2018. While the airport at Jharsuguda would be a bigger one capable of handling Airbus 320s, the ones at Dhamra and at Jeypore would be smaller ones. Under the coastal corridor project, part of the bigger Bharatmala project, there is a plan to connect Gopalpur in Odisha to Digha in West Bengal, giving direct connectivity from Paradip to Dhamra along the coast, thereby cutting down the roundabout route by 120 km.