State firm on establishing Bhogapuram airport: Ganta.

Projects like airports are needed for development and an international Greenfield airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district would be established without causing any difficulty to the farmers whose lands would be acquired for the airport, Minister for HRD Ganta Srinivasa Rao said recently.

Earlier he and Minister K. Mrunalini reviewed issues like acquiring land for the airport with Collectors of Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam M.M. Nayak and N. Yuvaraj respectively, MLAs from Vizianagaram district Patiwada Narayaswami Naidu and K. Appala Naidu and MLC G. Srinivasulu Naidu, and other people’s representatives from Bhogapuram panchayat, RDO of Viziangaram J. Venkata Rao, tahsildar of Bhogapuram Lakshma Reddy and others at the Circuit House here.

The meeting was held even as farmers from Bhogapuram Panchayat staged a demonstration outside opposing construction of the airport on their lands.

'The State government is determined to establish the airport by completing the land acquisition in record time…..Chief Minister Mr. N Chandrababu Naidu is particular that the land should be acquired after doing full justice to the farmers and they should get the best (rehabilitation) package. He wants the airport established only with the consent of the farmers,' Mr. Srinivasa Rao later told reporters.

Later when Dr. Mrinalini was leaving the Circuit House, the farmers demonstrating outside blocked her convoy for some time. The police cleared them.

A total of 5,551 acres under Munjeru, Kancheru, Rawada, A. Ravivalasa, Gudepuvalasa, Kavulavada and Kongavanipalem villages will be acquired for the airport. Out of which 1,418 acres are government land, including 845 acres of assigned land.

According to Plan I of the land acquisition Mr. Narayanaswami Naidu, MPP Bangarraju and others would start talking with the villagers from Wednesday and the revenue officials would start their survey soon.

THE HINDU