Ranchi, February 25 The Jharkhand government will examine the feasibility and land availability for setting up an airport in the Dhanbad district, Transport Minister Deepak Birua said on Wednesday.
Responding to a call attention motion raised by CPI(ML) legislator Arup Chatterjee and JMM MLA Mathura Mahato, Birua said the government would seek a report from the Dhanbad deputy commissioner on land availability.
Birua said an airport already exists at Barwa Adda in Dhanbad, which falls under the 1B category, allowing operation of aircraft with a capacity of five to eight passengers.
He said the existing facility covers 33 acres and cannot be upgraded to 2C or 3C category. While a 2C category airport would require an additional 37 acres, a 3C category facility would need a total of 113 acres and a 1,990-metre runway, which is difficult within Dhanbad city limits, he said.
The minister also said an airport is being developed in Bokaro under the Centre’s UDAN scheme, around 50 km from Dhanbad.
Chatterjee said Dhanbad is a major trading centre housing the headquarters of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) and an office of the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC).
He suggested that an airport in the Topchanchi area would also boost tourism, as a large number of Jain pilgrims visit Parasnath Hill in Giridih district, claiming there is no shortage of land there.
Mahato said more than 100 acres of land is available in Baliapur for the proposed airport.
The minister said the state government would also seek guidance from the Airports Authority on whether a new airport can be set up within a 50-km radius of an existing facility. “The government has no problem proposing an airport in Dhanbad,” he said.
Earlier, MLA Uday Shankar Singh raised the issue of defunct tubewells in the state.
Responding to him, state minister Yogendra Prasad said more than 18,000 tubewells were repaired in the past two months. “All defunct tubewells will be repaired so that people do not face any hardship during the summer season,” he said.
JMM MLA Hemlal Murmu also flagged delays in the tender process in the rural works department.
Rural Development Minister Dipika Pandey Singh said steps are being taken to streamline the process.