The Bengal government will sign an agreement with the Centre on September 28 to set up an airport in Purulia district under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said after an administrative review meeting in the district on Sunday.
Adhikari said preparations for the airport had been finalised and that the state government had already applied for the requisite licence. The proposed agreement will be signed under the Centre’s Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik scheme, which seeks to connect underserved regions and strengthen last-mile air connectivity.
“We have to bring in aeroplanes here. An agreement will be signed with the Centre on September 28 for the airport under the UDAN scheme. That is why the transport secretary came here with me today. Everything has been finalised. A representative of civil aviation was also here,” Adhikari told reporters.
The proposed airport is being presented as part of a wider development plan for Purulia covering tourism, infrastructure and industrial activity. The chief minister said the state wanted to develop the district as a major industrial hub and expected investments of around Rs 1 lakh crore over the next year.
According to Adhikari, proposals are in the pipeline from the defence, steel, cement and solar sectors. He said the maximum demand was for setting up solar plants. He also referred to a Rs 5,000 crore project in Raghunathpur for which he had performed the foundation ceremony.
The proposed air link would add an aviation component to the district’s industrial and tourism plans, although the announcement did not specify the airport site, construction schedule, terminal capacity, proposed routes, airline operator or the number of flights expected under the UDAN agreement. The state’s licence application and the agreement with the Centre are the next stated steps in the process.
Adhikari also linked better connectivity with the expansion of tourism in Purulia. He said the government would convert the existing mini zoo into a larger facility and revamp forest department guest houses to support religious and forest tourism. No separate timeline or project cost was provided for these works.
The chief minister said the government would seek to ensure that local households received jobs and the benefits of welfare schemes as development activity expanded. He said 6.56 lakh women had received payments for August under the state government’s Annapurna Yojana during the month.
On housing, Adhikari said a list had been sent for the construction of around two lakh new houses under the housing scheme. He added that Rs 60,000 had been provided to 16,000 applicants as the second instalment. These welfare and housing measures were discussed alongside the district’s proposed infrastructure and investment plans.
The September 28 agreement will establish the next formal stage for the Purulia airport proposal. Further details on licensing, construction, flight operations and connectivity will depend on the agreement and subsequent clearances from the Centre and the state government.
