PM Modi inaugurates Deoghar airport, built at a cost of Rs 401 crore

Deoghar, July 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday unveiled multiple projects in Jharkhand, including an airport in Deoghar, and said the new initiatives would go a long way in boosting development in eastern India.

The prime minister also said that efforts had been underway over the past eight years to strengthen the infrastructure of railways, roadways and airways in the region.

The new airport will promote tourism in the state, he said.

"We had long been nurturing the dream of Deoghar airport. It will boost employment and create new opportunities. I congratulate the citizens of Jharkhand. The new projects will also benefit Bihar and West Bengal," the PM said.

The prime minister laid foundation and inaugurated projects worth Rs 16,800 crore, including a 657-acre airport built at a cost of Rs 401 crore. He flagged off a Kolkata-bound IndiGo flight from the Deoghar airport to mark the inauguration of Jharkhand's second airport after Ranchi.

The PM added that the Bokaro-Angul gas pipeline, which was also launched during the day, would benefit 11 districts of Jharkhand and Odisha.

Modi had laid the foundation stone of the Deoghar airport on May 25, 2018, as a key step towards providing direct connectivity to Baba Baidyanath Dham, which is an important religious destination for devotees from all over the country.

He also inaugurated the in-patient department and operation theatre services at AIIMS, Deoghar.

Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for multiple road, energy and other infrastructure projects. It includes widening of the Palamu-Gumla road, Rehla-Garhwa bypass and the Mirza Chowki-Farakka road, besides the elevated corridor from Kutchery Chowk to Piska More and Itki RoB in Ranchi.

Widening of the Gorhar-Khairatunda road, Khairatunda-Barwa Adda section and the Ranchi-Mahulia section are also among the projects.

The Ranchi station redevelopment, Jasidih bypass newline, Godda Coach Maintenance depot, Garhwa-Mahuria doubling are also part of the railway projects that Modi inaugurated or laid the foundation stone for.

Other projects include creation of a facility and pipeline network at the coal-bed methane in Jharia block in Parbatpur, Bokaro-Angul section of the Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra pipeline and LPG plants at Barhi and Bokaro.