Ground breaking ceremony of Dhalbhumgarh airport by the end of

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.