Jamshedpur, september 08, 2026: The Dhalbhumgarh airport project and the delay in obtaining the required environmental clearance came up for discussion when Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahato met Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday.
Mahato submitted a memorandum highlighting the importance of the proposed airport for the region and sought an expedited process for the required No Objection Certificate (NOC).
According to Mahato, the airport proposal had earlier been returned to the Jharkhand government over missing documents. He said around 11 months had passed but the required documents had still not reached the Centre.
The MP requested that if any deficiency is found in the proposal in future, the file should not simply be returned. Instead, the Centre should directly seek the missing information or documents from the state government so that the process does not face further delays.
The Union minister agreed with the suggestion, according to Mahato.
Ministry assures faster processing after state submits documents
The meeting also included discussions with Sushil Awasthi, Director General of Forests. Mahato said the response from the officials was positive.
The ministry has assured that once the Jharkhand government submits the required proposal and documents, the NOC process will be taken up on priority and completed at the earliest, according to the MP.
Awasthi said Jharkhand PCCF A.T. Mishra would provide the necessary proposal and documents to the Centre on behalf of the state government.
Elephant corridors also raised at meeting
The discussions extended beyond the airport to elephant corridors in the Chakulia area and the continuing human-elephant conflict in the region.
Awasthi said protection and conservation measures were being strengthened in affected areas. A joint inter-state coordination meeting involving senior officials from Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh is also expected to be held to work towards a long-term solution to human-elephant conflict.
Mahato also raised concerns about construction activities in forest areas. He argued that converting forests into parks, resorts and guest houses could affect elephant habitats and movement corridors.
He suggested that if parks need to be developed, areas such as fallow and upland land should be considered instead of locations that could interfere with natural elephant movement.
The Director General of Forests assured him that such concerns would be examined.
Yadav said a plan involving around ₹500 crore for elephant conservation across the four states is being prepared. A meeting of senior officials from the concerned departments is expected to be convened to work out a coordinated strategy for conservation and reducing human-elephant conflict.
For the Dhalbhumgarh airport project, the immediate next step will depend on the Jharkhand government submitting the pending proposal and documents to the Union environment ministry.
