Once operational, Bhogapuram Airport to end civilian flights to Vizag

- INS Dega Air Station might be used for defence purpose only

- Visakhapatnam Airport offers only limited service

- Greenfield airport to have dedicated air cargo service

Welcome to capital-less city flexi banners spotted in MVP Colony and Lawson’s Bay Colony. YSRCP claimed the launch is taking place after a lot of spadework and obtaining statutory clearances. TDP said that had Naidu been in power, the projects would have been operational by now by providing jobs to several thousands of local youth

Visakhapatnam: Once the greenfield Bhogapuram International Airport becomes operational as per schedule by end of 2025, it may see the last civilian flight taking off from Visakhapatnam International Airport.

A civil enclave airport, INS Dega Air Station of Indian Navy, where part of the area was earlier developed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation with night-landing facility, is expected to be used exclusively for defence purpose once GMR Group makes the new airport operational.

After examining Sabbavaram, Nakkapali and other areas, the Ministry of Civil Aviation gave the green signal for construction of an international airport at Bhogapuram, located about 45 km from Visakhapatnam. The Central Government has accorded in-principle clearance for laying a six-lane expressway from the city to the new airport with a total outlay of nearly Rs 6,500 crore.

The naval authorities have been denying permission for additional flying slots for civilian airports.

“This has been hindering in introducing more international flights to Visakhapatnam,” Tours and Travel Association of Andhra president and airport advisory committee member Vijay Mohan told Bizz Buzz. He said there is tremendous scope to link the city with international flights from Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Colombo and Hanoi.

Seafood exporters and promoters of pharma companies hope that once a greenfield airport is made operational, it will benefit them with dedicated air cargo service. At present, the Visakhapatnam Airport offers only limited service for air cargo for want of adequate facilities for storage and transportation.

War of words

The YSR Congress Party is staking a claim for getting all the clearances for Bhogapuram International Airport and the Adani Data Centre in North Andhra, for which Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy will be laying the foundation stone on Wednesday.

Security in the region has been beefed up in the routes to be covered by the Chief Minister’s convoy following spotting of flexi banners in MVP Colony and Lawson’s Bay Colony stating “welcome to capital-less city’ under the name of Jana Jagaran Samiti. The police removed the flexis immediately. Flexis also were seen erected during the Global Investors’ Samiti in March with slogans like “CM go back.” At that time also the flexis appeared in the name of Jana Jagaran Samiti after which the police registered a case against certain unidentified people.

TDP, which is inching close to Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party described Wednesday’s foundation-laying by the Chief Minister as yet another publicity stunt, an allegation which has been stoutly denied by the YSRCP leadership.

Clearances obtained

“We are launching the two big projects after a lot of spadework and obtaining statutory clearances, TDP national president and then Chief Minister laid the foundation stones for the airport and the data park just before the general elections in 2019. Hence, those ceremonies turned into publicity stunts,” said Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana. While GMR Group announced to construct the airport’s first phase with an investment of Rs 5,000 crore and operate the first flight by end of 2025, the Adani Data Park is envisaged with an investment of nearly Rs 15,000 crore over a period of seven years.

Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath said close on the heels of laying the foundation stone for Mulapeta (Bhavanapadu) port in Srikakulam district with an investment of nearly Rs 4,600 crore, the Chief Minister is launching two long-pending projects in North Andhra. He said the projects will change the industrial landscape of the region.

TDP State president K Atchan Naidu said, had Naidu been in power, both the projects would have been operational by now by providing jobs to several thousands of local youth. He blamed the YSRCP Government for shelving the international convention hall project by UAE-based LuLu Group at a prime place of Visakhapatnam.

TDP MLA from Visakha North and former Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said the present government had failed miserably in bringing any big new project to North Andhra. He said the city has also not been given its due share in the field of IT in the past two years.