Ranchi, March 25: The road was paved for air connectivity of Deoghar and Santhal Pargana region with prime cities across the country on Saturday with the state government signing an MoU for the expansion of the Deoghar airport and construction of a domestic airport in the district.
The tripartite MoU was signed by the Jharkhand government with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Airport Authority of India (AAI)on Saturday in the presence of Chief Minister Raghuabar Das.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that Deoghar Airport will prove to be a milestone from the point of view of a comprehensive and composite development of Jharkhand. �The airport projects will be completed by December, 2019. It will serve as a link between Jharkhand and north-east states. It will boost up tourism and will be beneficial for AIIMS. Many investors are going to invest in the state after the Global Investor�s Summit and a new airport will boost up the much needed connectivity,� he said.
After expansion, the overall length of the airstrip at the Deoghar airport will go up to 10,000 feet from the current length of 3500 feet.
This would facilitate operation of flights using A-320 grade aircrafts from the pilgrim town.
Das said that work for inter connectivity among Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dumka, Palamu and Bokaro is in fast progress.
Moreover, a proposal has been put forth for flight services from Ranchi to Hyderabad and Chennai. The government is working seriously on water connectivity apart from air and road connectivity. Construction of bridge on the Ganga river in Sahibganj and multi model hub will increase economic activities in this area, he said.
Union Civil Aviation Minister for State Jayant Sinha was also present on the occasion.
Among other dignitaries present included Urban Development Minister C. P. Singh, MPs Ram Tahal Choudhary, Nishikant Dubey, Chief Secretary Raj Bala Verma, Development Commissioner Amit Khare, several other senior state bureaucrats, officers of DRDO and Airport Authority of India.
