Amarda Road Airstrip - Revision history

Deepanboopathy: updated page

2026-01-31T16:40:24Z

updated page

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:10, 31 January 2026
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	\| name = Amarda Road Airstrip		\| name = Amarda Road Airstrip
	\| nativename =		\| nativename =
	~~\| nativename-a =~~
	~~\| nativename-r =~~
	\| image = Amarda Road Airstrip.jpg		\| image = Amarda Road Airstrip.jpg
	\| image-width =		\| image-width =
	\| caption =		\| caption =
	\| IATA = ~~IN-0057~~		\| IATA =
	\| ICAO =		\| ICAO =
	\| type = Defunct		\| type = Defunct
	\| owner = [[Ministry of Defence (India)]]		\| owner = [[Ministry of Defence (India)\|Ministry of Defence]]<ref>{{cite web \|title=List of Airstrip in the State maintained by State Government\|url=https://ct.odisha.gov.in/sites/default/files/2020-06/Present-status-report-airstrips-ola.pdf\|website=ct.odisha.gov.in\|publisher=Commerce and Transport Department, Government of Odisha \|access-date=14 January 2023}}</ref>
	\| operator =		\| operator = [[Indian Air Force]]<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/DETAILS-UNSERVED-AS-ON22NOV16.pdf\|title=AAI Unserved Airports\|website=aai.aero\|publisher=Airports Authority of India}}</ref>
	\| city-served =		\| city-served =
	\| location = Rasgovindpur, [[Odisha, India]]		\| location = Rasgovindpur, [[Odisha, India]]
	\| built =		\| built = 1940
	\| used =		\| used =
	\| elevation-f = 130		\| elevation-f = 130
	\| elevation-m = 43		\| elevation-m = 43
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	\| pushpin_label = Amarda Road Airstrip		\| pushpin_label = Amarda Road Airstrip
	\| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Odisha		\| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Odisha
	\| website =		\| website =
	\| r1-number = 05/23		\| r1-number = 05/23
	\| r1-length-f = 6000		\| r1-length-f = 6000
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	\| r2-length-m = 2032		\| r2-length-m = 2032
	\| r2-surface = Concrete		\| r2-surface = Concrete
	\| stat-year =		\| stat-year =
	\| stat1-header =		\| stat1-header =
	\| stat1-data =		\| stat1-data =
	\| stat2-header =		\| stat2-header =
	\| stat2-data =		\| stat2-data =
	\| footnotes =		\| footnotes =
	}}		}}

	'''Amarda Road Airstrip''', also known as '''Rasgovindpur Airstrip''' ~~{{airport codes\|IN-0057}}~~ is a former wartime airfield located near [[Rasgovindpur]] village in [[Mayurbhanj district]] of [[Odisha]], [[India]]. It was used by the [[Royal Indian Air Force]] during [[World War II]].		'''Amarda Road Airstrip''', also known as '''Rasgovindpur Airstrip''' is a former wartime airfield located near Rasgovindpur village in [[Mayurbhanj district]] of [[Odisha]], [[India]]. It was used by the [[Royal Indian Air Force]] during [[World War II]].

	==History==		==History==

	[[File:Wing Commander Frank Carey, Officer Commanding the Air Firing Training Unit, based at Amarda Road, India, standing by the nose of a Hawker Hurricane, April 1943. CI171.jpg\|thumb\|Wing Commander [[Frank Reginald Carey\|Frank Carey]], Officer Commanding the Air Firing Training Unit, based at Amarda Road, India, standing by the nose of a [[Hawker Hurricane]], in April 1943.]]		[[File:Wing Commander Frank Carey, Officer Commanding the Air Firing Training Unit, based at Amarda Road, India, standing by the nose of a Hawker Hurricane, April 1943. CI171.jpg\|thumb\|left\|Wing Commander [[Frank Reginald Carey\|Frank Carey]], Officer Commanding the Air Firing Training Unit, based at Amarda Road, India, standing by the nose of a [[Hawker Hurricane]], in April 1943.]]
	The Amarda Road airstrip, as it was called in war terminology, spreads across an area of nearly ~~600~~ acres. Built in the 1940s at a cost of Rs 3 crore, it was eventually abandoned after the war.<ref>{{cite news \|title=WW-II era Amarda airstrip in Odisha cries for attention \|url=https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/290418/ww-ii-era-amarda-airstrip-in-odisha-cries-for-attention.html \|website=The Asian Age \|last1=Sahoo \|first1=Akshaya Kumar \|date=April 29, 2018}}</ref> It was probably named as Amarda Road Airfield because of the nearby Amarda Road railway station. The airfield was used by [[No. 136 Squadron RAF]],<ref>Jacobs, Vivian K. ''The Woodpecker Story''. Durham, UK: The Pentland Press Ltd., 1994. {{ISBN\|1-85821-235-9}}. 1994, p. 156.</ref> [[No. 177 Squadron RAF]]<ref>{{cite book\|year=1988\|author=C.G.Jefford \|isbn=1-85310-053-6\|title=RAF Squadrons\|publisher= UK Airlife Publishing }}</ref> and [[No. 607 Squadron RAF]]. The 'Air Fighting Training Unit', formed in February 1943, was also based here.		The Amarda Road airstrip, as it was called in war terminology, spreads across an area of nearly 900 acres.<ref name="amarda"/> Built in the 1940s at a cost of Rs 3 crore, it was eventually abandoned after the war.<ref>{{cite news \|title=WW-II era Amarda airstrip in Odisha cries for attention \|url=https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/290418/ww-ii-era-amarda-airstrip-in-odisha-cries-for-attention.html \|website=The Asian Age \|last1=Sahoo \|first1=Akshaya Kumar \|date=April 29, 2018}}</ref> It was probably named as Amarda Road Airfield because of the nearby Amarda Road railway station. The airfield was used by [[No. 136 Squadron RAF]],<ref>Jacobs, Vivian K. ''The Woodpecker Story''. Durham, UK: The Pentland Press Ltd., 1994. {{ISBN\|1-85821-235-9}}. 1994, p. 156.</ref> [[No. 177 Squadron RAF]]<ref>{{cite book\|year=1988\|author=C.G.Jefford \|isbn=1-85310-053-6\|title=RAF Squadrons\|publisher= UK Airlife Publishing }}</ref> and [[No. 607 Squadron RAF]]. The 'Air Fighting Training Unit', formed in February 1943, was also based here.

	As an airfield, Amarda Road fell on the supply route for the [[National Revolutionary Army\|Nationalist Armies]] of China in their fight against the Japanese. Aircraft of the RAF and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) would regularly fly from this space to [[China]] via [[Chabua]] (Dibrugarh), [[Jorhat]] and [[Vijaynagar, Changlang\|Vijaynagar]] across the infamous hump route over Arunachal and East Tibet.		As an airfield, Amarda Road fell on the supply route for the [[National Revolutionary Army\|Nationalist Armies]] of China in their fight against the Japanese. Aircraft of the RAF and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) would regularly fly from this space to [[China]] via [[Chabua]] (Dibrugarh), [[Jorhat]] and [[Vijaynagar, Changlang\|Vijaynagar]] across the infamous hump route over Arunachal and East Tibet.
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	Eight decades after the base was built, the {{convert\|11,000\|ft\|m}} concrete runway is still intact, though the buildings that once cluttered the edges are gone.		Eight decades after the base was built, the {{convert\|11,000\|ft\|m}} concrete runway is still intact, though the buildings that once cluttered the edges are gone.

	There are proposals to renovate the airstrip for future operations under [[UDAN]] scheme from 2022.<ref>{{cite news \|title=Amarda airstrip revamp in 2022: Bishweswar Tudu \|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2021/sep/09/amarda-airstrip-revamp-in-2022-bishweswar-tudu-2356310.html \|website=The New Indian Express \|date=September 9, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|title=Rasgobindpur now under UDAN scheme \|url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/rasgobindpur-now-under-udan-scheme.html \|website=Daily Pioneer \|date=June 20, 2021}}</ref> As of November 2022, the [[Government of India]] and the [[Ministry of Defence (India)\|Ministry of Defence]] have cleared for the airstrip to be developed as a commercial airport by acquiring a land area of 160 acres, and developing it at a cost of ₹ 25 crores.<ref>{{cite news\|author1=Barik, Satyasundar\|title=Decks cleared for development of World War II era airstrip into an airport in Odisha\|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/decks-cleared-for-development-of-world-war-ii-era-airstrip-into-an-airport-in-odisha/article66172615.ece~~/amp~~/\|work=The Hindu\|date=23 November 2022\|access-date=26 November 2022\|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|author1=Bisoyi, Sujit\|title=President Droupadi ~~Murmu’s~~ home district to have airport, gets MoD nod\|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bhubaneswar/president-droupadi-murmus-home-dist-to-have-airport-gets-mod-nod-8283931/lite/\|work=The Indian Express\|date=23 November 2022\|access-date=26 November 2022\|language=en}}</ref>		There are proposals to renovate the airstrip for future operations under [[UDAN]] scheme from 2022.<ref>{{cite news \|title=Amarda airstrip revamp in 2022: Bishweswar Tudu \|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2021/sep/09/amarda-airstrip-revamp-in-2022-bishweswar-tudu-2356310.html \|website=The New Indian Express \|date=September 9, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|title=Rasgobindpur now under UDAN scheme \|url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/rasgobindpur-now-under-udan-scheme.html \|website=Daily Pioneer \|date=June 20, 2021}}</ref> As of November 2022, the [[Government of India]] and the [[Ministry of Defence (India)\|Ministry of Defence]] have cleared for the airstrip to be developed as a commercial airport by acquiring a land area of 160 acres, and developing it at a cost of ₹ 25 crores.<ref name="amarda">{{cite news\|author1=Barik, Satyasundar\|title=Decks cleared for development of World War II era airstrip into an airport in Odisha\|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/decks-cleared-for-development-of-world-war-ii-era-airstrip-into-an-airport-in-odisha/article66172615.ece/\|work=The Hindu\|date=23 November 2022\|access-date=26 November 2022\|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|author1=Bisoyi, Sujit\|title=President Droupadi Murmu's home district to have airport, gets MoD nod\|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bhubaneswar/president-droupadi-murmus-home-dist-to-have-airport-gets-mod-nod-8283931/lite/\|work=The Indian Express\|date=23 November 2022\|access-date=26 November 2022\|language=en}}</ref>

	==Gallery==		==Gallery==
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	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}

			{{Airports in Odisha}}
			{{Airports in India}}

	{{authority control}}		{{authority control}}

	[[Category:Airports in Odisha\|Amarda]]		[[Category:Airports in Odisha\|Amarda\|Mayurbhanj]]
	[[Category:Defunct airports in India\|Amarda]]		[[Category:Defunct airports in India\|Amarda]]
	[[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in Asia\|Amarda]]		[[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in Asia\|Amarda]]
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	[[Category:World War II sites in India]]		[[Category:World War II sites in India]]
	[[Category:1940s establishments in India]]		[[Category:1940s establishments in India]]
			[[Category:Mayurbhanj district]]
			[[Category:Military airbases established in 1942]]
			[[Category:Military airbases closed in 1945]]
			[[Category:Ministry of Defence (India)]]

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2022-12-02T11:50:04Z

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← Older revision		Revision as of 17:20, 2 December 2022
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	{{Short description\|Defunct Airports in Odisha, India}}		{{Short description\|Defunct Airports in Odisha, India}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=November ~~2022~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2017}}
	{{Use British English\|date=November ~~2022~~}}		{{Use British English\|date=November 2017}}
	{{Infobox airport		{{Infobox airport
	\| name = Amarda Road Airstrip		\| name = Amarda Road Airstrip
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	[[File:Wing Commander Frank Carey, Officer Commanding the Air Firing Training Unit, based at Amarda Road, India, standing by the nose of a Hawker Hurricane, April 1943. CI171.jpg\|thumb\|Wing Commander [[Frank Reginald Carey\|Frank Carey]], Officer Commanding the Air Firing Training Unit, based at Amarda Road, India, standing by the nose of a [[Hawker Hurricane]], in April 1943.]]		[[File:Wing Commander Frank Carey, Officer Commanding the Air Firing Training Unit, based at Amarda Road, India, standing by the nose of a Hawker Hurricane, April 1943. CI171.jpg\|thumb\|Wing Commander [[Frank Reginald Carey\|Frank Carey]], Officer Commanding the Air Firing Training Unit, based at Amarda Road, India, standing by the nose of a [[Hawker Hurricane]], in April 1943.]]
	The Amarda Road airstrip, as it was called in war terminology, spreads across an area of nearly 600 acres. Built in the 1940s at a cost of Rs 3 crore, it was eventually abandoned after the war.<ref>{{cite news \|title=WW-II era Amarda airstrip in Odisha cries for attention \|url=https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/290418/ww-ii-era-amarda-airstrip-in-odisha-cries-for-attention.html \|website=The Asian Age \|last1=Sahoo \|first1=Akshaya Kumar \|date=April 29, ~~2022~~}}</ref> It was probably named as Amarda Road Airfield because of the nearby Amarda Road railway station. The airfield was used by [[No. 136 Squadron RAF]],<ref>Jacobs, Vivian K. ''The Woodpecker Story''. Durham, UK: The Pentland Press Ltd., 1994. {{ISBN\|1-85821-235-9}}. 1994, p. 156.</ref> [[No. 177 Squadron RAF]]<ref>{{cite book\|year=1988\|author=C.G.Jefford \|isbn=1-85310-053-6\|title=RAF Squadrons\|publisher= UK Airlife Publishing }}</ref> and [[No. 607 Squadron RAF]]. The 'Air Fighting Training Unit', formed in February 1943, was also based here.		The Amarda Road airstrip, as it was called in war terminology, spreads across an area of nearly 600 acres. Built in the 1940s at a cost of Rs 3 crore, it was eventually abandoned after the war.<ref>{{cite news \|title=WW-II era Amarda airstrip in Odisha cries for attention \|url=https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/290418/ww-ii-era-amarda-airstrip-in-odisha-cries-for-attention.html \|website=The Asian Age \|last1=Sahoo \|first1=Akshaya Kumar \|date=April 29, 2018}}</ref> It was probably named as Amarda Road Airfield because of the nearby Amarda Road railway station. The airfield was used by [[No. 136 Squadron RAF]],<ref>Jacobs, Vivian K. ''The Woodpecker Story''. Durham, UK: The Pentland Press Ltd., 1994. {{ISBN\|1-85821-235-9}}. 1994, p. 156.</ref> [[No. 177 Squadron RAF]]<ref>{{cite book\|year=1988\|author=C.G.Jefford \|isbn=1-85310-053-6\|title=RAF Squadrons\|publisher= UK Airlife Publishing }}</ref> and [[No. 607 Squadron RAF]]. The 'Air Fighting Training Unit', formed in February 1943, was also based here.

	As an airfield, Amarda Road fell on the supply route for the [[National Revolutionary Army\|Nationalist Armies]] of China in their fight against the Japanese. Aircraft of the RAF and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) would regularly fly from this space to [[China]] via [[Chabua]] (Dibrugarh), [[Jorhat]] and [[Vijaynagar, Changlang\|Vijaynagar]] across the infamous hump route over Arunachal and East Tibet.		As an airfield, Amarda Road fell on the supply route for the [[National Revolutionary Army\|Nationalist Armies]] of China in their fight against the Japanese. Aircraft of the RAF and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) would regularly fly from this space to [[China]] via [[Chabua]] (Dibrugarh), [[Jorhat]] and [[Vijaynagar, Changlang\|Vijaynagar]] across the infamous hump route over Arunachal and East Tibet.

Bot: robot: Create/upgrade articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

2022-12-02T11:50:04Z

robot: Create/upgrade articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:20, 2 December 2022
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	{{~~short~~ description\|~~defunct~~ Airports in Odisha, India}}		{{Short description\|Defunct Airports in Odisha, India}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=November ~~2017~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2022}}
	{{Use British English\|date=November ~~2017~~}}		{{Use British English\|date=November 2022}}
	{{Infobox airport		{{Infobox airport
	\| name = Amarda Road Airstrip		\| name = Amarda Road Airstrip
	\| nativename =		\| nativename =
	\| nativename-a =		\| nativename-a =
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	\| image = Amarda Road Airstrip.jpg		\| image = Amarda Road Airstrip.jpg
	\| image-width =		\| image-width =
	\| caption = ~~Amarda Road Airstrip~~		\| caption =
	\| IATA = IN ~~0074~~		\| IATA = IN-0057
	\| ICAO =		\| ICAO =
	\| type = ~~Military~~		\| type = Defunct
	\| owner =		\| owner = [[Ministry of Defence (India)]]
	~~\| operator~~ = [[Ministry of Defence (India)]]		\| operator =
	\| city-served =		\| city-served =
	\| location = Rasgovindpur, [[Odisha, India]]		\| location = Rasgovindpur, [[Odisha, India]]
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	\| elevation-m = 43		\| elevation-m = 43
	\| coordinates = {{coord\|21\|48\|18\|N\|087\|02\|49\|E\|type:airport\|display=inline,title}}		\| coordinates = {{coord\|21\|48\|18\|N\|087\|02\|49\|E\|type:airport\|display=inline,title}}
	\| pushpin_map = India		\| pushpin_map = India Odisha#India
	\| pushpin_label = Amarda Road		\| pushpin_label = Amarda Road Airstrip
	\| pushpin_map_caption = Location in ~~India~~		\| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Odisha
	\| website =		\| website =
	\| r1-number = 05/23		\| r1-number = 05/23
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	}}		}}

	'''Amarda Road Airstrip''', also known as '''Rasgovindpur Airstrip''' {{airport codes\|IN ~~0074~~}} is a former wartime airfield located near [[Rasgovindpur]] village in [[Mayurbhanj]] ~~district~~ of [[Odisha]], [[India]].		'''Amarda Road Airstrip''', also known as '''Rasgovindpur Airstrip''' {{airport codes\|IN-0057}} is a former wartime airfield located near [[Rasgovindpur]] village in [[Mayurbhanj district]] of [[Odisha]], [[India]]. It was used by the [[Royal Indian Air Force]] during [[World War II]].

	==History==		==History==
	The Amarda Road airstrip, as it was called in war terminology, spreads across an area of nearly 600 acres. Built in the 1940s at a cost of Rs 3 crore, it was eventually abandoned after the war.<ref>{{cite news \|title=WW-II era Amarda airstrip in Odisha cries for attention \|url=https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/290418/ww-ii-era-amarda-airstrip-in-odisha-cries-for-attention.html \|website=The Asian Age \|last1=Sahoo \|first1=Akshaya Kumar \|date=April 29, ~~2018~~}}</ref> It was probably named as Amarda Road Airfield because of the nearby Amarda Road railway station. The airfield was used by [[No. 136 Squadron RAF]],<ref>Jacobs, Vivian K. ''The Woodpecker Story''. Durham, UK: The Pentland Press Ltd., 1994. {{ISBN\|1-85821-235-9}}. 1994, p. 156.</ref> [[No. 177 Squadron RAF]]<ref>{{cite book\|year=1988\|author=C.G.Jefford \|isbn=1-85310-053-6\|title=RAF Squadrons\|publisher= UK Airlife Publishing }}</ref> and [[No. 607 Squadron RAF]]. The 'Air Fighting Training Unit', formed in February 1943, was also based here.
			[[File:Wing Commander Frank Carey, Officer Commanding the Air Firing Training Unit, based at Amarda Road, India, standing by the nose of a Hawker Hurricane, April 1943. CI171.jpg\|thumb\|Wing Commander [[Frank Reginald Carey\|Frank Carey]], Officer Commanding the Air Firing Training Unit, based at Amarda Road, India, standing by the nose of a [[Hawker Hurricane]], in April 1943.]]
			The Amarda Road airstrip, as it was called in war terminology, spreads across an area of nearly 600 acres. Built in the 1940s at a cost of Rs 3 crore, it was eventually abandoned after the war.<ref>{{cite news \|title=WW-II era Amarda airstrip in Odisha cries for attention \|url=https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/290418/ww-ii-era-amarda-airstrip-in-odisha-cries-for-attention.html \|website=The Asian Age \|last1=Sahoo \|first1=Akshaya Kumar \|date=April 29, 2022}}</ref> It was probably named as Amarda Road Airfield because of the nearby Amarda Road railway station. The airfield was used by [[No. 136 Squadron RAF]],<ref>Jacobs, Vivian K. ''The Woodpecker Story''. Durham, UK: The Pentland Press Ltd., 1994. {{ISBN\|1-85821-235-9}}. 1994, p. 156.</ref> [[No. 177 Squadron RAF]]<ref>{{cite book\|year=1988\|author=C.G.Jefford \|isbn=1-85310-053-6\|title=RAF Squadrons\|publisher= UK Airlife Publishing }}</ref> and [[No. 607 Squadron RAF]]. The 'Air Fighting Training Unit', formed in February 1943, was also based here.

	As an airfield, Amarda Road fell on the supply route for the [[National Revolutionary Army\|Nationalist Armies]] of China in their fight against the Japanese. Aircraft of the RAF and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) would regularly fly from this space to [[China]] via [[Chabua]] (Dibrugarh), [[Jorhat]] and [[Vijaynagar, Changlang\|Vijaynagar]] across the infamous hump route over Arunachal and East Tibet.		As an airfield, Amarda Road fell on the supply route for the [[National Revolutionary Army\|Nationalist Armies]] of China in their fight against the Japanese. Aircraft of the RAF and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) would regularly fly from this space to [[China]] via [[Chabua]] (Dibrugarh), [[Jorhat]] and [[Vijaynagar, Changlang\|Vijaynagar]] across the infamous hump route over Arunachal and East Tibet.
Line 54:		Line 56:
	Eight decades after the base was built, the {{convert\|11,000\|ft\|m}} concrete runway is still intact, though the buildings that once cluttered the edges are gone.		Eight decades after the base was built, the {{convert\|11,000\|ft\|m}} concrete runway is still intact, though the buildings that once cluttered the edges are gone.

	There are proposals to renovate the airstrip for future operations under UDAN scheme from 2022.<ref>{{cite news \|title=Amarda airstrip revamp in 2022: Bishweswar Tudu \|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2021/sep/09/amarda-airstrip-revamp-in-2022-bishweswar-tudu-2356310.html \|website=The New Indian Express \|date=September 9, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|title=Rasgobindpur now under UDAN scheme \|url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/rasgobindpur-now-under-udan-scheme.html \|website=Daily Pioneer \|date=June 20, 2021}}</ref>		There are proposals to renovate the airstrip for future operations under [[UDAN]] scheme from 2022.<ref>{{cite news \|title=Amarda airstrip revamp in 2022: Bishweswar Tudu \|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2021/sep/09/amarda-airstrip-revamp-in-2022-bishweswar-tudu-2356310.html \|website=The New Indian Express \|date=September 9, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|title=Rasgobindpur now under UDAN scheme \|url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/rasgobindpur-now-under-udan-scheme.html \|website=Daily Pioneer \|date=June 20, 2021}}</ref> As of November 2022, the [[Government of India]] and the [[Ministry of Defence (India)\|Ministry of Defence]] have cleared for the airstrip to be developed as a commercial airport by acquiring a land area of 160 acres, and developing it at a cost of ₹ 25 crores.<ref>{{cite news\|author1=Barik, Satyasundar\|title=Decks cleared for development of World War II era airstrip into an airport in Odisha\|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/decks-cleared-for-development-of-world-war-ii-era-airstrip-into-an-airport-in-odisha/article66172615.ece/amp/\|work=The Hindu\|date=23 November 2022\|access-date=26 November 2022\|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|author1=Bisoyi, Sujit\|title=President Droupadi Murmu’s home district to have airport, gets MoD nod\|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bhubaneswar/president-droupadi-murmus-home-dist-to-have-airport-gets-mod-nod-8283931/lite/\|work=The Indian Express\|date=23 November 2022\|access-date=26 November 2022\|language=en}}</ref>

	==Gallery==		==Gallery==
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	[[Category:Airports in Odisha\|Amarda]]		[[Category:Airports in Odisha\|Amarda]]
	[[Category:Defunct ~~airfields~~ in India\|Amarda]]		[[Category:Defunct airports in India\|Amarda]]
	[[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in Asia\|Amarda]]		[[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in Asia\|Amarda]]
	[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in British India\|Amarda]]		[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in British India\|Amarda]]
	[[Category:World War II sites in India]]		[[Category:World War II sites in India]]
	[[Category:1940s establishments in India]]		[[Category:1940s establishments in India]]

>Lancepark: additions

2021-09-09T23:14:29Z

additions

New page

{{short description|defunct Airports in Odisha, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Amarda Road Airstrip
| nativename =
| nativename-a =
| nativename-r =
| image = Amarda Road Airstrip.jpg
| image-width =
| caption = Amarda Road Airstrip
| IATA = IN 0074
| ICAO =
| type = Military
| owner =
| operator = [[Ministry of Defence (India)]]
| city-served =
| location = Rasgovindpur, [[Odisha, India]]
| built =
| used =
| elevation-f = 130
| elevation-m = 43
| coordinates = {{coord|21|48|18|N|087|02|49|E|type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = India
| pushpin_label = Amarda Road
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in India
| website =
| r1-number = 05/23
| r1-length-f = 6000
| r1-length-m = 1830
| r1-surface = [[Concrete]]
| r2-number = 17/35
| r2-length-f = 6670
| r2-length-m = 2032
| r2-surface = Concrete
| stat-year =
| stat1-header =
| stat1-data =
| stat2-header =
| stat2-data =
| footnotes =
}}

'''Amarda Road Airstrip''', also known as '''Rasgovindpur Airstrip''' {{airport codes|IN 0074}} is a former wartime airfield located near [[Rasgovindpur]] village in [[Mayurbhanj]] district of [[Odisha]], [[India]].

==History==
The Amarda Road airstrip, as it was called in war terminology, spreads across an area of nearly 600 acres. Built in the 1940s at a cost of Rs 3 crore, it was eventually abandoned after the war.<ref>{{cite news |title=WW-II era Amarda airstrip in Odisha cries for attention |url=https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/290418/ww-ii-era-amarda-airstrip-in-odisha-cries-for-attention.html |website=The Asian Age |last1=Sahoo |first1=Akshaya Kumar |date=April 29, 2018}}</ref> It was probably named as Amarda Road Airfield because of the nearby Amarda Road railway station. The airfield was used by [[No. 136 Squadron RAF]],<ref>Jacobs, Vivian K. ''The Woodpecker Story''. Durham, UK: The Pentland Press Ltd., 1994. {{ISBN|1-85821-235-9}}. 1994, p. 156.</ref> [[No. 177 Squadron RAF]]<ref>{{cite book|year=1988|author=C.G.Jefford |isbn=1-85310-053-6|title=RAF Squadrons|publisher= UK Airlife Publishing }}</ref> and [[No. 607 Squadron RAF]]. The 'Air Fighting Training Unit', formed in February 1943, was also based here.

As an airfield, Amarda Road fell on the supply route for the [[National Revolutionary Army|Nationalist Armies]] of China in their fight against the Japanese. Aircraft of the RAF and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) would regularly fly from this space to [[China]] via [[Chabua]] (Dibrugarh), [[Jorhat]] and [[Vijaynagar, Changlang|Vijaynagar]] across the infamous hump route over Arunachal and East Tibet.

Amarda Road and other neighbouring airfields - [[Dhalbhumgarh]], [[Dudhkundi]], [[Salua]], [[Digri]], [[Salbani]] and [[Chakulia]] - formed a web of airfields created by the Allies to stop the impending [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] advance in the east. During the war, Amarda Road was, to put it simply, a battle hub. After the war was over, most airfields, including this one, fell into disuse. Today, only the [[Kalaikunda]] airstrip, which was declared an Air Force Station in 1954, exists.

==Present condition==
Eight decades after the base was built, the {{convert|11,000|ft|m}} concrete runway is still intact, though the buildings that once cluttered the edges are gone.

There are proposals to renovate the airstrip for future operations under UDAN scheme from 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=Amarda airstrip revamp in 2022: Bishweswar Tudu |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2021/sep/09/amarda-airstrip-revamp-in-2022-bishweswar-tudu-2356310.html |website=The New Indian Express |date=September 9, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Rasgobindpur now under UDAN scheme |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/rasgobindpur-now-under-udan-scheme.html |website=Daily Pioneer |date=June 20, 2021}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:The wide and straight long main air strip.jpg|Airstrip
File:The wide air strip.jpg|Airstrip
File:WP 20141111 001.jpg|Concrete runway
</gallery>

==References==
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[[Category:Airports in Odisha|Amarda]]
[[Category:Defunct airfields in India|Amarda]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in Asia|Amarda]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in British India|Amarda]]
[[Category:World War II sites in India]]
[[Category:1940s establishments in India]]