Bhubaneswar, Oct 16 (PTI) Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu on Monday accused the Odisha government of "creating hurdles" for the revival of the Amarda airstrip in Mayurbhanj district.

Tudu, who is also an MP from Mayurbhanj, alleged that the BJD government in the state has been "misleading" the people of his constituency and is "not interested" in the development of the tribal-dominated district.

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“Though the Centre is actively backing the revival of the Amarda airstrip, the state government has been creating hurdles for the development of it. The state administration is neglecting Mayurbhanj. The BJD dispensation has been misleading the people of Mayurbhanj and is not interested in the development of the tribal-dominated district,” Tudu, the union minister of state for tribal affairs, alleged.

Noting that the operation of an airport or airstrip is very important for tourism, Tudu said the state government representatives, like the district collector, were "not keen to take possession of land" under DRDO.

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"Officials of Defence Research and Development Organisation from Chandipur and Bhubaneswar were present at a programme on October 10 to hand over land, but the district collector did not come to take possession," Tudu claimed in a press conference here.

The union minister also said he had put a lot of effort into convincing authorities of the defence and civil aviation ministries for the upgradation of the Amarda airstrip.

“Initially, the state government did not deposit Rs 60 crore to get possession of land. However, after a lot of debate, the government paid the amount but did not take the land document.

“When I asked the collector why he did not turn up on October 10, he revealed that the state government had asked him not to go to the airstrip. Why is the government neglecting Mayurbhanj? Is it not a part of Odisha,?” the BJP leader asked.

Spread across nearly 800 acres of land, the airstrip was operational during World War II.

The airstrip in Rasgovindpur will be the sixth facility in the state after airports in Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda, Jeypore, Rourkela and Utkela.

Tudu said the "negligence" of the Odisha government has left the airstrip abandoned even as crores of rupees are being spent on its renovation.

He said the revival of the Amarda airstrip would cater to the people from Mayurbhanj, Balasore, and Keonjhar districts.

Mayurbhanj district collector Vineet Bhardwaj had on October 10 told reporters in Baripada that the state government had urged the DRDO to mail the land documents online.

“The government is taking necessary steps for revival of the airstrip,” the collector said.

A group of farmers from Rashgovindpur staged a road blockade, demanding adequate compensation for the land on which the Amarda airstrip has been constructed.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)