Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district on Saturday.
The airport’s construction cost approximately ₹5,000 crore. The Andhra Pradesh government considers this modern airport crucial for the development of the entire North Andhra region.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate the airport terminal building at around 11 a.m. He will then inspect the airport along with Governor S. Abdul Nazeer and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
The Prime Minister will then travel in an open-top vehicle to the public meeting venue, where he will be welcomed by over 13,500 tribal women and students with a grand Dhimsa dance.
According to a government press release, the airport has been planned to promote industrial development, employment generation, exports, skill development and research.
The airport’s first phase has the capacity to handle 6 million passengers annually, with plans to increase this capacity to 40 million passengers per year in the future.
According to a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release, the airport has used modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Building Information Modelling (BIM), Airside 4.0 technology, Airport Predictive Operations Centre (APOC) and biometric passenger processing.
The airport’s design is inspired by the cultural heritage of Andhra Pradesh. The terminal’s roof design is inspired by traditional Chuttilu huts and the natural scenery of the Araku Valley.
Its undulating shape reflects the graceful movement of a flying fish. Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate projects worth around Rs 18,000 crore in the state today and also lay the foundation stone for several new projects.
He will lay the foundation stone for the ₹460 crore ASIP Semiconductor Project in Visakhapatnam, being built in partnership with ASIP Technologies Pvt Ltd and APACT of South Korea.
This will be Andhra Pradesh’s first semiconductor manufacturing facility approved under the India Semiconductor Mission. Approximately 96 million semiconductor chips will be produced here each year. This will also boost other small and ancillary industries associated with the semiconductor industry.
Similarly, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for a new transmission line to carry power to the Kurnool-4 Renewable Energy Project (4.5 GW), which is being built by Powergrid.
It will cost approximately ₹5,550 crore. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate a power transmission line for Kurnool’s wind and solar energy sectors. This project has cost approximately ₹3,550 crore.
In addition, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the power transmission line for the solar power projects in Anantapuramu and Kurnool, built by Powergrid at a cost of over ₹820 crore.