The main hurdle in the expansion of Bokaro airport is cleared now. Bokaro Deputy Commissioner MK Barnawal ordered Van Vikas Nigam to remove the trees on the airport premises. The decision has been taken in a meeting with Airport Authority of India (AAI), Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) and Forest Department officials.
Within the next 20 days, the Van Vikas Nigam has to start the removal work after floating the tenders, informed the DC. Bokaro airport was facing the hurdle of removal of about 6,000 trees for its expansion. The construction works of terminal building and main building were hindered as the matter of removal of trees was trapped into a controversy that who will remove the trees.
“We will complete all the needful entire procedure for removal of the trees within a week,” said AK Singh, Area Manager, Van Vikas Nigam.
Notably, the foundation for the expansion of the airport has been laid down on 25 August 2018 and air services were proposed to be started by 25 December 2018. For that AAI has been allotted works to three agencies including Jai Mata Di Construction, East India Construction Company and Creative Construction. But the matter (removal of trees) got trapped in dispute between District Administration, Forest Department and Bokaro Steel Plant management.
Recently an AAI team headed by Ashok Vishwas rushed to Bokaro to inspect the ongoing expansion work which includes strengthening of the airstrip, boundary wall, cooling pit, fencing including others. Without removal of the trees, civil work could not be possible, said Samarjeet Singh Technical Manager AAI.
“If trees get removed, the Bokaro airport will become functional within the next five months,” he added.
Meanwhile, for the expansion and development of Bokaro Airport, the district administration will launch a special anti-encroachment drive soon and asked for the immediate construction of the boundary wall of the airport.
In the meeting, Barnwal asked them to clear the encroachments earliest, over 400 houses (huts) at an unauthorised slum adjacent to the airport boundary wall in Sector XII of the Bokaro Steel City’s township would be razed. Under the UDAN scheme, Bokaro is to be connected RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme).