SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Sept 30: Dr. Irfan Ansari, Congress MLA from Jamtara, and Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP from Godda, are at odds over the naming of the Deoghar airport approach road, which is named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The airport approach road, which is about 350 metres long, was jointly launched on July 28 by former chief minister and BJP legislature party leader Babulal Marandi, state BJP president Deepak Prakash, Nishikant Dubey, and Deoghar MLA Narayan Das.
Dr. Irfan Ansari, who called the inauguration of the Deoghar airport approach road unlawful, claimed he would be getting a flagstone by the district administration because the Prime Minister’s name was being misused.
“Nishikant Dubey is an outsider (from Bhagalpur, Bihar) who is unconcerned about the bread and butter of Godda’s people. We have filed a complaint with the Deoghar Deputy Commissioner for action on the illegal inauguration because the state government has already begun the road construction process,” he said.
On the other hand, Nishikant Dubey justified the inauguration by claiming that it was the local residents, not BJP leaders, who built the approach road. The construction has been financed by locals as well.
On Thursday, Godda MP Dubey remarked,“ It is the land of the Airport Authority of India, not the state government. When the Government of India creates a road, it does so based on the requirements. As a result, the Airport Authority of India is responsible for the building of the Deoghar airport approach road. As far as Dr. Irfan Ansari’s objection is concerned, he has nothing to do with it. He is an MLA from Jamtara district, and he should focus on the development of his constituency, not Deoghar.”
This is the second time when Dr. Ansari and Nishikant Dubey are face to face over a development project in Deoghar. Earlier in June, both were headed for a showdown over the inauguration of the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS).