Dhanbad: A fresh search for additional land for a proposed airport in Baliapur block, 25km from the district headquarters, began on Tuesday.
The process was initiated after the state civil aviation authorities sought details of around 642 acres of land in Baliapur instead of the earlier requirement of 400 acres.
A new airport is proposed to come up in Baliapur under the second phase of the Centre's regional connectivity scheme Udan. The airport will boast a 4,600-metre-long and 300-metre-wide runway.
On July 20 last year, Dhanbad deputy commissioner Anjaneyulu Dodde, Sindri MLA Phulchand Mandal and Dhanbad MLA Raj Sinha had carried out an inspection of the land for the airport in the block. The deputy commissioner had instructed Baliapur circle officer Ashutosh Kumar Ojha to prepare a detailed project report taking 400 acres of available land into consideration.
Dhanbad additional collector Satyendra Kumar said last year they had submitted details of around 400 acres of land - 128 acres of land at Harihari, Bardaha and Samlapur Mouza of Baliapur and 272 acres of government and private land in surrounding areas - to the state government.
"Last week, we received a fresh letter from the state civil aviation authorities seeking details of 642 acres of land instead of the earlier proposed 400 acres," added Kumar.
Baliapur circle officer Ashutosh Kumar Ojha said they would soon find out details of additional 242 acres of land. "We also need to assess the proposed cost incurred on the acquisition of the additional land as most of the land will be on private properties," added Ojha.
Out of 642 acres of land, the state civil aviation authorities will require 384 acres of land in the first phase and the remaining 258 acres in the second phase. "The project report mentioning the additional 242 acres of land will be complete by month-end," said the circle officer.
Talking to The Telegraph, Dhanbad MLA Raj Sinha, said, "The airport in Dhanbad will come up in the second phase by all means despite the additional requirement of land."
