The Uttarandhra region of Andhra Pradesh is gearing up for a mega launch of GMR’s greenfield airport located in AP’s Vizianagaram district.
The Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport (Bhogapuram), is slated for inauguration by India’s Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi on August 1.
Just yesterday the State’s Education, IT and Electronics Minister Mr Nara Lokesh along with a slew of other state ministers and BJP State president Mr PVN Madhav carried out a comprehensive review of both the airport and arrangements being made for the inauguration.
Mr GBS Raju, Business Chairman of GMR Airports Limited along with his senior leadership team at Bhogapuram gave the minister a detailed overview of the new airport.
Inspecting the arrangements Minister Lokesh said that an estimated 3 lakh people from Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Anakapalle, Parvathipuram and Manyam districts of Uttar Andhra will attend the airport inauguration ceremony.
He therefore called upon officials and alliance leaders to work in coordination and make the inauguration of the new airport by the Prime Minister a grand success.
The inauguration ceremony is said to feature a series of special cultural programmes highlighting the rich traditions and heritage of North Andhra Pradesh.
The renowned Thinsa dance, along with other cultural performances, will be a major attraction during the celebrations.
As per reports plans are underway for the largest Dhimsa dance performance in the country with about thirteen thousand people to welcome Prime Minister Modi.
Crowd Management
An estimated five thousand buses will come from 36 assembly constituencies for the people attending the airport inauguration ceremony.
Simultaneously drinking water, breakfast and food facilities will be provided to all those attending the meeting.
Speaking to reporters, Mr MT Krishna Babu, IAS Special Chief Secretary to Govt, Transport, Roads and Buildings said that one LED screen is being set up for every 5,000 people to watch the Prime Minister’s public meeting.
TDP State President
Today TDP Andhra Pradesh’s President and Gajuwaka MLA Mr Palla Srinivasa Rao conducted a comprehensive review of the arrangements being made for the inauguration of Bhogapuram International Airport.
During the review meeting, Mr Palla held detailed discussions with officials on all aspects of the programme, including transportation logistics, bus mapping, crowd management, parking facilities, traffic regulation, security deployment, drinking water supply, food arrangements, sanitation measures, protocol requirements and special event coordination.
He described Bhogapuram International Airport as a state-of-the-art facility equipped with world-class infrastructure and modern technology, comparable to the finest airports in the country. The airport, he said, has been designed not only to meet present-day requirements but also to cater to the needs of future generations.
“Anyone visiting the airport will immediately recognize the scale, quality and futuristic vision behind the project. It is a landmark infrastructure asset that will elevate North Andhra’s profile on the national and international stage,” said Mr Rao.
He expressed confidence that the inauguration of Bhogapuram International Airport would mark a defining moment in the development journey of North Andhra and would be remembered as a historic milestone that opens new avenues for economic growth, investment, tourism and employment across the region.
About the New Airport
GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports, holds the 40-year DBFOT concession to develop Bhogapuram International Airport, for Andhra Pradesh.
The airport is designed to handle 6 million passengers per year in phase one with a master plan expandable up to 18 million.
The airport will also house a state of the art cargo facility i.e. 5,000 square meter terminal engineered for an initial throughput of 25,000 tonnes per year.
The airport in Vizianagaram district is about 45 km from Visakhapatnam.
