Nellore’s Dagadarthi Airport works to begin by June-July

Tirupati: Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh is all set for a major infrastructure push as the much awaited Nellore international airport works are all set to commence at Dagadarthi very soon. Touted as the 8th airport to be grounded in the state of Andhra Pradesh, the Dagadarthi airport will further strengthen the govt's push to create a future-ready, multimodal logistics and industrial ecosystem in Nellore district.According to Nellore TDP MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, "The Dagadarthi airport coming up in an extent of 1,332.8 acres is envisaged as more than just an aviation facility. By integrating air connectivity with ports, highways and industrial zones, there will be a significant advantage for exporters and manufacturers with a sharp reduction in logistics costs. This in then will thus attract fresh investments in industry, warehousing and allied services, besides creating substantial employment opportunities in construction, aviation, logistics and allied sectors.""Planned in multiple phases, the Dagadarthi airport will be developed over an extent of 1,332.8 acres. Phase 1 has been designed to handle 1.4 million passengers every year, with the master plan allowing scalability up to 15 million passengers annually. Provision has also been made for a dedicated cargo facility in the future, in tune with the region's expanding industrial output and port-led trade potential," Vemireddy observed.The Nellore MP pointed out to the state govt allocating a sum of Rs 54 crore in Jan this year to expedite the process of land acquisition and ground the necessary infrastructure to provide electricity, water and telephone connectivity to the airport, Vemireddy exuded confidence that the Dagadarthi airport works shall commence as planned by June-July this year.Explaining the status of the Dagadarthi airport, Nellore district collector Himanshu Shukla stated that private participants are currently invited to give their Request For Proposals (RFP) towards development, operation and maintenance, for which the deadline ends by this month-end. The name of the successful bidder is expected to be out by May.The district administration is also in the process of creating an alternate road in place of the existing road to facilitate the public reach the villages beyond the airport. A culvert will also be built on the channel flowing from upstream, and the stream will remain untouched."The govt has announced to launch the works by June-July this year, and we are ready to meet the deadline," says Nellore collector Himanshu Shukla.