Ranchi, August 12: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren wants Deoghar Airport to be named as Baba Baidyanath Airport.
The chief has written a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday to name the Deoghar Airport as Baba Baidyanath Airport.
In the letter the chief minister says that in view of the public demand of Deoghar for naming the airport at Deoghar as Baba Baidyanath Airport he was putting forth the suggestion to name the Airport as Baba Baidyanath Airport.
“The city of Deoghar is identified as Baba Baidyanath Dham and the people of the region strongly feel that the airport must operate under the aegis of Baba Baidyanath,” he wrote.
He further wrote that the Deoghar airport is being built for the benefit of the millions of the tourists who visit Deoghar every year to pay offerings to Baba Baidyanath which is important to the development of religious tourism in the state.
The chief minister said the Government of Jharkhand recognised this and out of total cost of Rs 850 crore it has contributed more than Rs 600 crores including the cost of providing land towards the project.
“I request you to consider the proposal in right earnest and respecting the views of our people please name the airport Baba Baidyanath Airport,” the letter states.
Deoghar airport is likely to be operational from September as the Union Civil Aviation Ministry is chalking out a plan for the formal inauguration of the airport on September 17 coinciding with the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Once complete, this will be the second airport in Jharkhand after Ranchi. It will be capable of handling flights including large aircraft and is expected to boost regional connectivity and tourism.
This airport is being jointly developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Jharkhand government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of this airport on May 25, 2018.
Spread over 653.75 acres of land the project cost of this airport is Rs 401.34 crore. Its terminal building is being built over an area of 4,000sqm whereas the runway is 2,500 metres long.
