Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Thursday attacked the Congress for indulging in politics of regionalism and casteism over the issue of development during the 60-year of its rule.
Whereas Prime Minister Narendra Modi was engaged in achieving all round development and improving connectivity of people and infrastructure, Das said.
Das was speaking after he along with Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha performed the ground breaking ceremony of a proposed airport in Dhalbhumgarh, about65 kms from here,under Ghatsila sub-division of East Singhbhum district.
He said the government has also launched "Mukhya Mantri Sukanya Yojana" on the National Girlchild day Thursday at Chaibasa, West Singhbhum district, he said.
Referring the growth of aviation sector in the state, the chief minister said only 1500 passengers used to travel by air per day in the state with only eight passenger aircrafts in operation before December 28, 2014, when he came to power..
However, the figure has jumped to 60,000 passengers were travelling by air per day during the last four and half year tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.
He said that around 25.50 lakhs passenger travelled by air in 2018, which was indicative of increased purchase capacity of the masses.
The Chief Minister assured to start a Boeing Bus in the second phase of the Dhalabhumgarh Airjport but the government needed 550 acres of land for expansion.
He urged the local masses to part away their land for the purpose and assured to rehabilitate first before displacing them.
We will compensate as per the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, paying four times of market price of the land, if they would prefer to part it for the development project, he said.
Rehabilitation will be done as the government did in Deoghar district, where people were rehabilitated first and compensated as per the act for giving their land for the development of an airport, he added.
The development of an airport will not only improve air-connectivity but increase the economic growth rate as well as generate employment opportunities, he said assuring the local masses to give preference in employment in the proposed airport after providing them skill training.
Das also cautioned the local masses to be aware of greedy political parties, who wanted to grab power with false assurances.
Accusing Congress and Jharkhand-based political parties for pushing the state to backwardness, he said "as the election approaching, the chor (thieves) and looters were getting united again to loot the state".
The four-and-half year of Modi regime was committed for the development of poor section of the society, he said.
Reminding the people of 14-year political instability in the state, he said if the Mahagatbandhan (Grand alliance of opposition parties) would form a government, the state will witness political instability again.
Das claimed that the state has witnessed growth in sector across whether it was aviation or agriculture, which achieved a growth of 14 per cent against 4 per cent before 2014.
Addressing the gathering, Sinha said the long-standing demand of an airport at Dhalbhumgarh has fulfilled with the signing of an MOU between the Jharkhand Government and Airport Authority of India Thursday.
Eversince the Modi-headed government came to power, he said the country has witnessed a revolution in air, road and rail connectivity.
Before 2014, Sinha said only 67 airport were functional in the country where the 35 new airports were added during the last four and half year tenure of the present dispensation, he said.
Stating that the air freight has now become cheaper than an autorickshaw per kilomer, the minister said the number of passengers were doubled during the period from 6.5 crores to 13/13.5 crores now.
Altogether 700 passenger aircrafts have been operation in the country but in the last one year, an order for 1000 new aircraft was placed, he said.
The air fair in the country was cheapest in the world and increasing passengers has led Jharkhand government to develop airports in Dumka, Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Daltongunj and Deoghar. Hitting out at the opposition with naming them, Sinha said.
"Unlike the speed of Haathi (party symbol of Mayawati-headed BSP) and Cycle (party symbol of Samajwadi Party), our speed of development was like a bullet train, we have electrified the villages with electricity and not Lantern (party symbol of RJD), he said without naming any party.
Later, a MOU was signed between Jharkhand Government and Airport Authority of India in regard with the proposed airport at Dhalbhumgarh.
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