Bhogapuram airport and Adani Data Centre will change the face of North Coastal

The topography and ecosystem of North Coastal Andhra Pradesh will change with the setting up of an international airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district and the Adani Data Centre (Vizag Tech Park) at Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam, Industries and IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath has said.

In an exclusive interview with The Hindu on May 1 (Monday), Mr. Amarnath said Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram would become twin cities such as Hyderabad and Secunderabad once both the projects materialised and this mega city would change the face of North Coastal Andhra Pradesh—from Anakapalli to Srikakulam.

The foundation stones for both projects are scheduled to be laid by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on May 3 (Wednesday).

The Bhogapuram airport is coming up at a strategic location, which is almost equidistant between Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram. “Bhogapuram airport will not only serve the people of North Coastal A.P., but also those from the hinterland of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. It will also improve the cargo movement from Chhattisgarh, Odisha and North Coastal A.P. This region has a good potential for export of shrimp, bulk drugs, agriculture products and cashew,” he said.

Apart from the airport, the Mulapeta port for which the foundation stone was laid recently, will serve as a catalyst for development. The proposed port will be the only such facility between Paradip in Odisha and the two ports in Visakhapatnam.

Employment potential

Around 2,700 acres have been acquired for the airport which will be built by the GMR at a cost of ₹3,500 crore. The airport is estimated to generate direct and indirect employment for at least 5,000 people.

Of the 2,700 acres, the airport will come up in 2,200 acres while about 92 acres have been earmarked for the development of an IT City and other things including an ‘Aero City’, said Mr. Amarnath.

He pointed out that the 50-km six-lane road between Visakhapatnam and Bhogapuram would be a game-changer. The Centre has sanctioned ₹6,500 crore. About ₹4,000 crore has been earmarked for land acquisition, which includes the State government’s share of ₹1,200 crore.

“Once the road is laid, we expect more infrastructure such as hotels and resorts will come up,” he said.

Referring to the Adani Data Centre project, the Minister said the facility would be built in 130 acres at a cost of ₹14,000 crore and it would generate employment for about 25,000 people.

“The facility will come up in about 20 acres while an IT park will be developed in 60 acres and 10 acres will be used for building convention centres and other amenities,” he said.

Global Investors Summit

Speaking about the progress on investment after Global Investors Summit, the Minister said that review meetings were held with the monitoring committee and the interested industries had been categorised.

“We have signed 99 MoUs for investments of about ₹3.5 lakh crore. Of them, about 20 have been categorised as ‘ready to lay foundation’, 30 under ‘ready to acquire land’ and around 16 are in the DPR stage,” the Minister said.

Most of the industries have evinced interest in setting up shops near Anakapalle- Atchutapuram circuit, Nellore, Kadapa and Anantapur. Even HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) are in talks with the government for setting up the second LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) plant near Anantapur, he added.