AP Govt proposes fourth site for Vizag international

By V L Srinivasan
Hyderabad, March 25: The State Government has proposed a fourth site for locating the international airport near the port city of Visakhapatnam in addition to the three already suggested to the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
The site suggested now is in Bhogapuram Mandal in Vizianagaram district with an area of 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) and is 2 km wide and 5 km long. It lies between the Bay of Bengal coast and National Highway No 5.
The site is 55 km from the city of Visakhapatnam and located near Chapala Kancheru and Mukkam villages close to the seashore. The land cost is said to be around Rs 6 lakh per acre.
The AAI has already decided to conduct techno economic feasibility study for the three sites suggested earlier _ Sabbavaram, Achyutapuram and Koruprolu _ in Visakhapatnam district.
Though another site (fifth) near Nakkapally in the district was also considered initially, it was rejected as there is a railway line on one side and the required unobstructed 6 km East West funnel was not available.
``The site at Bhogapuram is dry agricultural belt and, more or less, uniformly level ground sloping towards the sea,'' official sources told `Express'.
Sabbavaram is 30 km from the city where the officials have identified some 3,500 acres. This site, which is within the limits of Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority, is presently under cultivation. It is completely flat and about one km from the State Highway which is to be made into a four-lane soon.
The 4,000 acres identified at Achyuthapuram, which is 60 km from the city, is also suitable for the airport from technical point of view as it is located about 10 km away from the nearest hill on the western side.
The other site at Koruprolu, which is around 2,000 acres and located four km from the National Highway 5, is also favourable for development of the airport. It is situated 80 km from Visakhapatnam and also Kakinada.
``Even this site is technically appropriate with very little rehabilitation liability. This land is mainly suitable for the SEZ operations inVisakhapatnam and East Godavari growth-corridor,'' officials explained.
The need for a new airport has become necessary in view of the frequent inundation of the existing airport by the flood waters of Meghadrigedda reservoir, especially during rainy season.
Further, there is no scope for developing the present airport on par with international airports as availability of the land for future expansion is scarce.
Another reason that forced the State Government to have a second airport in Visakhapatnam was the reputation it was gaining as the second important hi-tech city in the State with a world class sea port catering to the
exports and imports of huge quantities of cargo besides housing the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command, Hindustan Shipyard and the upcoming Gangavaram Port in private sector.