Baripada: The Amarda airstrip in Mayurbhanj district, which was built during the World War II, is now crying for urgent measures for its revival.
Built by the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the British government with an investment of Rs 3 crore on an area of 800 acres, the airstrip and its runway is lying mostly unutilised.
Even though the airstrip’s 11,000 feet runway (3.5 km) and bunker are visible, it has been sealed after 15 to 20 feet.
It is believed that many vehicles, ammunition and other equipment are still inside the bunker after the British Army deserted the airstrip.
“If the bunker is opened after breaking its seal, we might get a chance to know more about the place which is of historical importance. It is believed that the British Army had dumped wireless sets and other mechanical equipment,” said Purnachandra Bindhani, a local resident.
Jagannath Patnaik, a retired engineer stated, “Small bombs were planted in the bunker so that nobody could dig it up.”
Locals are demanding an extensive research to unearth the mystery of the bunker which now remains sealed.
“This airstrip has a short, but secret illustrious history which has never been made public. It had the longest runway in Asia, more than 2.5-km-long. The total runways, taxiways and aprons were more than 60 km. The Amarda Road airstrip, as it was called in war terminology, spreads across an area of nearly 800 acres. Built in the 1940’s at a cost of Rs 3 crore it was eventually abandoned after the war. It was named as the Amarda Road Airfield due to the nearby Amarda Road railway station,” said historian and researcher Anil Dhir.
