Fresh efforts are being made by the state government to set up an alternative aerodrome for Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport amid confusion over selection of Punpun for the same under the proposed master plan.

The state government has recently written a letter to the Union civil aviation ministry to send a team of top officials, including a few from Airports Authority of India (AAI) for a meeting on the alternative airport issue.

The meeting has been sought following a recent announcement made by chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi regarding an airport at Rajgir.

“Following the directives from the chief minister, the state government had initially fixed September 30 as the date for holding the meeting with senior officials from the Centre. However, the Centre did not give any confirmation on the same. Thereafter, a letter has been sent by the chief secretary to the Union civil aviation secretary to send a team for holding discussions and visiting the prospective sites for development of the alternative airport for Patna,” said Captain Deepak Kumar Singh, director (operations)-cum-chief pilot, state directorate of civil aviation.

Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport is marked as one of the most critical airports of the country because of its short runway and obstacles in its approach funnel.

While Silao (Nalanda) and Bihta airstrip are the only two options being considered at present by the Centre as well as the state for the alternative airport, Punpun, where an airport has been earmarked under the proposed master plan for Patna, is nowhere in the race.

“Airports across the country are either developed by the AAI or in public-private partnership mode, still no communication has been made to us regarding selection of Punpun as the site for the alternative airport. Accordingly, we have not made any communication regarding the same to our headquarters in Delhi,” said a senior AAI official.