Bhubaneswar, Feb 18 : The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) has floated a tender for the development, operation and maintenance of the first phase of Sri Jagannath International Airport at Sipasarubali in Puri.

IDCO invited international competitive bids on behalf of the Commerce and Transport department of Odisha.

The Sri Jagannath International Airport with an estimated cost of Rs 2,203 crore will be developed in Public Private Partnership mode, said official sources.

The construction work for the first phase of the airport with a capacity to handle 4.6 Millions Passenger Per Annum (MPPA) is expected to be completed within three years.

The filing of the online tender process will begin from February 21, while the technical bids will be opened on April 21.

The much awaited international airport will be built on a land plot measuring around 1,164 acres at Sipasarubali in Puri.

The airport will be set up in accordance with the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008.

Notably, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has earlier granted site clearance approval for the project in 2023.

Expecting an increased tourist footfall, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021 to set up an international airport in the holy city.

/IANS