Bhogapuram airport will take off in 4 years: Ashok.

Union Minister for Civil Aviation P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday exuded confidence that the Bhogapuram International Airport would be functional within four years as all the decks have been cleared for the construction of the project. He said that only 250 acres of land needed to be acquired as Vizianagaram district administration had almost completed the land acquisition for the proposed airport.

Speaking to The Hindu, he said that a few YSRCP leaders were trying to disrupt the work in Bhogapuram but the people would not believe their words as the airport would spur economic activity in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts as the Union and State governments were concentrating on cargo business which could be possible only with the rapid industrialisation in the region. “I have spoken to Vizinagaram Collector Vivek Yadav to speed up land acquisition process. We hope there will not be any legal tangles since 80% of the acquisition was completed,” he added.

He warned that stern action would be taken on the persons concerned who were responsible for the manhandling of an air traveller recently. “We are expecting report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation very soon. We have already instructed all the airlines including Indigo to respect the passengers. The travellers should also follow security norms strictly to avoid confrontation in airports. Travel anxiety could be one of the reasons for such incidents,” said Mr. Raju.

Earlier, he inspected solar plant in Vizianagaram Zilla Parishad office and congratulated Zilla Parishad chairperson Sobha Swati Rani and ZP CEO T. Venkateswara Rao for saving power bill to the tune of around ₹3.96 lakh per year.

THE HINDU