Vijyawada: As the bifurcation of the state is appearing imminent with UPA government heading towards the final procedures, need for infrastructure development in Seemandhra regions have come to fore.
Being not only in the race for capital city but also situated centrally in Seemandhra, Krishna district is more considered to be developed in terms of infrastructure, IT industry and manufacturing industries.
First of all those in Vijayawada airport, whose status in the country could literally set a scale for growth by all means and also make the city stand aside as the fastest growing cities in the country.
Vijayawada airport at Gannavaram, 18 kilometres away from the city not only serves passengers of the district but also is a major source for air travel for Guntur, West Godavari, Prakasam and other nearby districts.
Having no other airport in a radius of 300 kms is also an advantage for Vijayawada airport. While international airport at Hyderabad is nearly 300 kms away from Vijayawada airport, Vishakapatnam airport is 390 kms away, Tirupati airport is 490 kms away, Chennai airport is 396 kms away and Bangalore airport is 633 kms away.
People here, including realtors and industrialists are pinning hopes that in the event of bifurcation it would at least help the Vijayawada airport see faster development from now on.
International status to an airport will attract multinational companies (MNCs) from all over the world to invest in nearby towns and cities, said Dr T. Chatterji, a professor in architecture and planning, in his speech at an international seminar organised by School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada recently.
Any software MNC that looks to open up a new branch considers only cities that have international airports. As the MNCs will have majority of the customers from abroad they do need to take direct flights, said Prabhakar, a professor in a local management college.
Lands around Gannavaram will see a steep rise in price once international status for the airport is declared, said M. Raju, a small-time realtor from Pottipadu village, nearby Gannavaram. He said that they are eagerly waiting for the event of bifurcation.
Airport director B.G. Patil said there would be speed growth in the district and surrounding cities once the airport is fully developed. He said development activists’ will be carried out speedily once land acquisition is done.
Meanwhile, there are hurdles for the expansion of the airport. Demand for acquiring land from farmers through new Land Acquisition Act has come to fore in airport advisory committee review meeting held here on Wednesday. However, compared with past five years, many financial hurdles for expansion of the airport were cleared in a shot span of time.
beginning from the initial announcement of state bifurcation. Over Rs 130 crore funds are announced so far and the airport authorities are waiting for approval of taking up works.
Also zonal status for Vijayawada railway junction which is immediate alternative for fastest transport is also being demanded by both railway officials and industrialists.
