VIZIANAGARAM/VISAKHAPATNAM: North Andhra will witness reverse migration and become a job hub, once the major development projects begin operations, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said as he laid the foundation stone for the Bhogapuram Greenfield International Airport in Vizianagaram on Wednesday. He also laid a stone for Vizag Tech Park, a subsidiary of Adani Group.
Construction of the Bhogapuram airport will be taken up in Public Private Partnership mode with the GMR Group in an area of 2,203 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 4,592 crore.
Stating that the slew of projects would make North Andhra a hub for development, the Chief Minister said, “Mulapeta Port would be the jewel and Bhogapuram Airport will be the crown of Uttarandhra. These two projects will change and transform the region.”
The airport will initially cater to 40 lakh passengers and the footfall will gradually increase to four crore, he explained. “We will complete the construction of the airport by 2026. It will have two runways in a stretch of 3.8 km with an ability to handle the biggest A320 and A380 aircraft. The airport will also have a cargo complex and aviation academy,” Jagan elaborated.
He said “I have asked GMR Chairman G Mallikarjuna Rao to explore options of completing construction in two years. Rao has promised to make it operational in two-and-a-half years at least.”
Lashing out at the Opposition party, Jagan said while the previous TDP government could not make the airport a reality, the YSRC government has overcome all legal hurdles and completed land acquisition, besides getting all clearances from the Centre and finishing the process of inviting tenders.
He also announced that the foundation stone for the six-lane highway from Visakhapatnam to Bhogapuram airport would be laid within four months and added the Rs 700 crore safe drinking water project to supply purified water to Uddanam area from Hiramandalam Reservoir and the Kidney Research Centre at Uddhanam would be dedicated to the people in June.
The Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia for extending full support in initiating works at the airport. Further, Jagan virtually laid the foundation stones for the Rs 194.40 crore Taraka Rama Thirtha Sagaram Project and Rs 23.73 crore Chintapalli Fish Landing Centre in the district. Works for the irrigation project would be completed by December 2024.
Later, Jagan laid the foundation stone for the Vizag Tech Park that would comprise a 200 MW Integrated Data Centre at Madhurawada and a 100 MW Integrated Data Centre at Kapuluppada - both set up with an investment of Rs 14,634 crore and Rs 7,210 crore respectively. The data centre by Adani would facilitate the laying of a submarine cable from Singapore and help change the future dynamics of broadband services.
Calling Jagan a uniquely visionary leader of a uniquely gifted State, Adani Group MD Rajesh Adani said the best testimony of the Chief Minister’s execution ability is the amazing 70% GDP growth that AP achieved last year. This, the government is doing without compromising on social welfare, he observed.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu took a dig at Jagan for laying the foundation stone for the airport once again. The TDP chief laid the stone for the project in February 2019.
Calling Jagan a chameleon, Naidu showed videos of Jagan opposing the construction of the airport when he was in opposition and now terming it the crown of North Andhra. Recalling that the TDP had acquired 2,700 acres for the Bhogapuram airport at the time, Naidu said the airport is now being built in 2,200 acres. “Where is the remaining 500 acres?” he asked.