Ruling, oppn engage in blame game over Bokaro airport

Bokaro: Political parties in the coal belt have started raking up non-operation of the airport in Bokaro as one of the key issues for the next year’s assembly election with both the ruling JMM and opposition BJP blaming each other for the delay of the airport project.
During his public address, BJP MLA Biranchi Narayan charged Soren’s government with intentionally delaying the project, claiming that the incumbent government “does not want the people of Bokaro to travel by air”.
“The Hemant government is anti-development,” he noted.
Reacting to Narayan’s statement, the city president of JMM, Mantu Yadav, on Thursday said BJP was in power for five years, yet the Bokaro MLA could not get the Bokaro airport operational. “Now, he is defaming our government,” Yadav said.
According to sources, the responsibility to operationalise the airport lies with three entities of the Union government — the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Despite significant investment from these organisations, the airport has not yet received the necessary approval from the DGCA to commence flights.
Both AAI and BSL are under the jurisdiction of the Union Minister of Steel and Aviation, Jyotirditya Scindia. The state government and the district administration are only responsible for monitoring and coordinating the airport-related activities.
Ranchi airport K L Agarwal, who heads the Bokaro airport project, said, “The development work of the airport is almost complete and the documentation process is on. We are waiting for the DGCA’s approval.”