Subscribe
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday, July 30, accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of falsely claiming credit for the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram, asserting that nearly all the groundwork for the project was completed during the previous YSRCP government's tenure.
In a post on social media, Jagan questioned Naidu's contribution to the greenfield airport project, saying the Chief Minister had done little beyond laying the foundation stone ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections.
"Mr. Chandrababu, at least ask your own conscience what you have actually done for the Bhogapuram Airport. Apart from hurriedly laying a foundation stone just a month before the 2019 elections, despite having done nothing, what exactly did you contribute to this project?" he asked.
Jagan claimed that the YSRCP government completed all the critical milestones required for the project after signing the concession agreement with GMR in June 2020, including land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R), site clearance, statutory and security clearances, water and power supply, internal roads, aeronautical services and financial closure.
Jagan said that his government spent nearly Rs 1,200 crore on the project, including Rs 967 crore on land acquisition and rehabilitation, Rs 75 crore on water supply, Rs 134.5 crore on infrastructure, Rs 7.29 crore on alternative roads and Rs 2.35 crore on a power substation.
"Most importantly, we completed the land acquisition that you failed to complete. We provided rehabilitation to the displaced people from four villages... So, what exactly did you do, Mr. Chandrababu?" he said.
He said the YSRCP government had expected flight operations to begin by June 2026 and argued that the airport was ready for inauguration only because of the work carried out during its tenure.
The former Chief Minister also criticised the NDA government for failing to provide proper road connectivity to the airport from Visakhapatnam city.
He recalled that the YSRCP government had pushed for a 55-km, six-lane highway connecting Visakhapatnam to Bhogapuram, which Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had announced at the airport's foundation stone ceremony.
"Your party is in power at the Centre, and you are also in power in the State. Yet, even after two years, there has been no progress on this road. Today, passengers travelling to Bhogapuram Airport are forced to undergo immense hardship," Jagan said.
Meanwhile, the BJP, an ally of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), dismissed Jagan's claims. Union Minister for Health and BJP national secretary Satya Kumar Yadav described the YSRCP's attempt to claim credit for the airport as a sign of "political bankruptcy."
In a statement, Satya Kumar alleged that the previous YSRCP government had delayed the project for five years by pursuing reverse tendering and allowing legal disputes to stall construction.
He maintained that the Bhogapuram airport project was initiated during the 2014-2019 TDP government, when Chandrababu Naidu secured key environmental and aviation clearances and completed the required land acquisition.
"Had the YSRCP government allowed the works to proceed instead of downscaling the project and pushing it into litigation, Bhogapuram Airport would have become operational three years ago," the Minister said.
