JSPL chairman Naveen Jindal, chief minister Arjun Munda and his deputy Hemant Soren at the signing ceremony in Ranchi on Monday. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Dec. 26: Jharkhand signed on the dotted line today to allow a private steel firm to develop a World War II-era airstrip in Dumka by extending its runway to facilitate night landing facilities for large aircraft, thereby tying in with the Munda government’s promise of rejuvenating the much-neglected Santhal Pargana region.

Over the next 10 years, Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL) will be investing close to Rs 20 crore-Rs 25 crore under its CSR initiative to upgrade the airstrip, used primarily by VIPs for landing choppers during election campaigns, in Dumka, the second capital of Jharkhand.

An MoU was signed in the presence of chief minister Arjun Munda, MP and CMD of JSPL Naveen Jindal, deputy chief minister Hemant Soren, who is also in-charge of civil aviation, home secretary J.B. Tubid and other dignitaries here in Ranchi at the state hangar at Birsa Munda Airport.

“We will invest around Rs 20 crore-Rs 25 crore for the development of the Dumka airport,” Jindal said during the signing ceremony, going on to elaborate on the company’s plans for the airstrip.

“The existing 4,000-feet airstrip will be extended up to 6,000 feet so as to enable big and commercial flights to take off and land. The surface will be smoothened and hangars will be constructed for parking facilities of aeroplanes, helicopters etc. We will also try to ensure night-landing facilities,” added the CMD of the company that is on an investment spree in the region with plans for coal mining and power plants.

Munda said his government was committed to the development of the Santhal Pargana region. “We are working towards improving road, rail and air connectivity in the region. Today’s MoU is an effort towards that,” he said and lauded JSPL for committing to invest in the state.

Hemant Soren dubbed today’s MoU signing as “historic” for the ill-developed Dumka region.

“Henceforth, JSPL would be managing and maintaining the Dumka airstrip,” he said.

While the state civil aviation department would monitor the progress of the ambitious project, the onus would be on JSPL to develop, renovate, maintain and expand the airstrip for the next 10 years.

JSPL’s flight operations would be looked after by Brig (retd) T.S. Gill.

While JSPL has already made significant progress towards setting up a 6 MTPA steel mill in Patratu in neighbouring Ramgarh district, it is also working towards setting up a power and coal mining project in Santhal Pargana districts of Dumka and Godda.

The company has been allotted two coal blocks, Jeetpur and Amarkonda, in the region which are in various stages of development. The company has also proposed to set up two power plants in the region with a cumulative capacity of over 2,600 MW.