JH-AIRPORT-DAS

Jharkhand Chief Minister

Raghubar Das Thursday said the ground-breaking ceremony of the

proposed airport in Dhalbhumgarh in East Singhbhum district

will be performed by the end of this month.

Das made the announcement after review meeting in

Ranchi Thursday with the Union Civil Aviation secretary R N

Choubey in connection with work progress of various airports

in the state, an official release here said.

The proposed airport in Dhalbhumgarh, about 49-km from

here, will not only give impetus to the development work in

this region but people from adjoining West Bengal and Odisha

will also benefit from it, besides people of mineral-rich

Kolhan division of the state, the chief minister said.

Assuring all assistance from the state government, Das

emphasised the need for completion of construction work of the

airport within a stipulated time frame.

The chief minister said this region remained neglected

for last 70 years but due to the joint efforts of the Prime

Minister Narendra Modi-headed Central government and the

Jharkhand government, the project was being implemented.

While the proposed airport would help improve the

economy, it would also generate employment, he said adding

that Modi ji has a dream to see the common man wearing Hawai

chapel (slippers) to ride a plane.

About the proposed airports in Dumka, Bokaro, Palamau

and Deoghar districts, Das said the airport proposed in

Deoghar district will be ready by February 2020.

The chairman of Airports Authority of India,

Guruprasad Mohapatra said the tarmac of the proposed airport

was built during the 2nd World War. The proposed airport will

be developed in two phases, he said.

Mohapatra said small planes will operate in the first

phase following the completion of the airport by December

2020.

The second phase work would start soon after the

completion of first phase, he added.