PM Modi to inaugurate Deoghar Airport during Bihar-Jharkhand visit on Tuesday

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil developmental projects worth around Rs 16,800 crore in Jharkhand's Deoghar on Tuesday, which will include inauguration of an airport in the district famous for Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple. In the evening, he will go to neighbouring Bihar and around 6 pm, the PM is scheduled to address the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of the state legislative assembly in capital Patna.
The PM will also pay obeisance at Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, and take part in an 11.5-km-long road show, a senior police officer said, adding that security has been tightened in the district.
The PM had laid the foundation stone of the Deogarh Airport, spread over 657 acres and built at a cost of Rs 401 crore, on May 25, 2018. The terminal building of the airport is equipped to handle over five lakh passengers annually.
It will be the second international airport in Jharkhand after Ranchi. Earlier last week, low-cost carrier IndiGo had announced that it would launch a Kolkata-Deoghar flight service on July 12.
The PM said in a tweet that he looked forward to visiting Jharkhand and Bihar on Tuesday.
"I look forward to being in Jharkhand and Bihar tomorrow to attend various programmes. In the afternoon, I will reach Deoghar where I will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for development works worth Rs. 16,800 crore," he said.

Also, several components of project "Development of Baidyanath Dham, Deoghar", sanctioned under the PRASAD Scheme of the ministry of tourism, will be inaugurated, including two large pilgrimage congregation halls with a capacity of 2,000 pilgrims each, Jalsar lakefront and Shivganga Pond.
During his visit, the PM will also dedicate the In-patient Department (IPD) and operation theatre services at AIIMS, Deoghar.
Besides, the PM will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple road projects worth more than Rs 10,000 crore, apart from various energy infrastructure projects worth around Rs 3,000 crore for the region.
The Prime Minister will also dedicate two railway projects: Godda-Hansdiha electrified section and Garhwa-Mahuria doubling project.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for Prime Minister Modi's Tuesday visit to Deoghar district.
Enthusiasm was palpable among BJP workers on Monday over the PM's programme, with some of the saffron party leaders, including Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey, calling the 11.5-km-long road show a "historic event".
According to the senior police officer, lakhs of people are expected to witness or take part in the road show on Tuesday, and measures are being taken in the region to ensure that the programme passes off smoothly.
Drones will be deployed to monitor the entire roadshow, the officer stated.
He also said that people from far and wide had been arriving in Deoghar to participate in the Shravani mela, which is set to commence on July 14, and arrangements have been made for their safety, too.
The PM too referred to this in a separate Hindi tweet saying he will get the good fortune of "darshan and offering prayers at the Baba Baidyanath Temple in the holy city of Deoghar".
"On July 12, there will also be an opportunity to inaugurate the airport here. This will make the journey of Babadham easier for the devotees, as well as boost the tourism of Jharkhand," PM Modi said.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren had on Sunday held a high-level meeting with senior officials and police officers to take stock of the preparations and security arrangements ahead of the PM's visit.