Deoghar’s non-functional airport in Jharkhand will now be developed as a world class airport. In this regard, the state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) whereby the airport will be developed with all the modern amenities.
The MoU was signed at the Chief Minister’s residence in Ranchi in presence of Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha, and Chief Minister, Raghubar Das, The Hindustan Times reported.
The current 53.41 acre airport will be expanded to a 654.10 acre full-fledged facility for air travel at a cost of Rs 300 crore in a span of two years.
The Jharkhand government and AAI will contribute Rs.50 crore each for the project, while the DRDO will contribute Rs.200 crore.
The new airport will connect the tribal-dominated Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand, to all the major cities in the country and also abroad. It will facilitate the travel of devotees to visit Jyotirling Baba Baidyanath and the annual Sravani Mela in Deoghar.
“The airport should be ready by December 2019. After 70 years of independence, Jharkhand will get its second airport. It’s a historical step,” said Das.
The most backward region of Jharkhand is also expected to witness industrial growth due to air travel and cargo facility at Deoghar airport.
