Bhogapuram airport opening likely by August

Visakhapatnam: The Alluri Sitarama Raju Greenfield International Airport at Bhogapuram will be commissioned in a month or two of the earlier announced month of June, as the interior works of the airport and finishing touches to the ATC are going on, besides the expansion and construction of main roads.The country's second greenfield airport's first-phase works are going on with Rs 4,727 crore, including the 3,800-metre runway, 40 check-in counters, 12 Digi Yatra Pods and a capacity of 60 lakh passengers per annum.The state roads and buildings, basic infrastructure minister BC Janardhana Reddy said, they have been waiting for the auspicious day and also the availability of the dates of prime minister Narendra Modi. The airport is being developed by the GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL) under the PPP model, and has completed 98.74% of works, he said. He even announced the auspicious dates as July 5 or July 8, and Aug 17 or Aug 19.It is recalled that the first validation flight, an Air India Airbus A320, arrived from New Delhi in Jan, and Union minister Rammohan Naidu stated that the airport would be commissioned by June. The airport was designed to withstand severe cyclonic conditions, and it can sustain wind speeds of up to 275 kmph and heavy rainfall of up to 27 centimetres, with a drainage system built to handle extreme weather.According to sources, seven main roads linking Vizag city to Bhogapuram Airport via NH 16 and also another 12 internal roads are on a fast pace. It would take 50 to 60 days for the completion of all roads.