Bhogapuram, about 45 km from Visakhapatnam, has been identified by a team of experts as a suitable location for a ‘Greenfield’ international airport, the Union Minister for Civil Aviation, P Ashok Gajapati Raju, said.
About 15,000 acres of land was required for the airport at Bhogapuram, which is in Vizianagaram, the home district of the Union Minister.
The need for a Greenfield international airport to meet the demands of Visakhapatnam, a fast-growing industrial city, to be developed as a smart city with the assistance of the US and the neighbourhood is high. It is also a growing tourist destination.
The Minister was speaking to reporters here on Tuesday evening after participating in a function to inaugurate the medical facilities at a hospital being run by the Varun group as a part of its CSR activities.
Capacity building He said the present international airport at Visakhapatnam was suffering from certain handicaps. It was under the control of the Union Ministry of Defence and “their priorities are different.” Further, the geographical location of the airport with hills on one side was also necessitating landing and take-off flights in one direction only, definitely a constraint.
As for the land required at Bhogapuram, the State Government would take care of the land acquisition issues. “The social and economic issues of the local people will be addressed and I shall also allay the apprehensions of the farmers and others in the area,” he said.
The Bhogapuram airport would trigger economic growth in the north-coastal districts and also East Godavari district. Air cargo facilities would be developed at the airport, he added. He said the air cargo complex at the present airport would also be developed and inaugurated soon.
In response to a question, he said it was too early to say how long it would take for the Bhogapuram airport to be completed, but the Government would take it up in right earnest.
Interestingly, the Chandrababu Naidu-led AP Government has also unveiled plans to develop international airports near Vijayawada in the capital region and also at Tirupati besides developing airports like Rajahmundry.
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Published on April 15, 2015
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