State ministers skip ‘inauguration’ of Vij airport’s extended runway

Vijayawada: Union minister for civil aviation Suresh Prabhu on Tuesday inaugurated the extended runway of Vijayawada airport through a video link from New Delhi.
Significantly, the state ministers and other invitees stayed away from the programme. The 2286-metre-long runway has been now extended to 3360 metres to handle huge aircraft. He also inaugurated the extended runway of Rajahmundry airport and laid the foundation stone for the extension of the terminal building at Visakhapatnam airport.“Better air connectivity will help in overall development of the city. Our government is focused on the development of airports in Andhra Pradesh and we are committed to developing it in all forms,” said Prabhu.
The decision of inaugurating the incomplete runway comes in the wake of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s criticism of the BJP-led Union government that it has neglected the state.
Former civil aviation minister Ashoka Gajapati Raju, who participated in the programme in Delhi, said the state government played a significant role in the expansion of Vijayawada airport runway. “We have to appreciate farmers of Gannavaram and nearby villages who gave their land for the runway expansion. The state government convinced the farmers and paid a huge amount for rehabilitation,” he said.Union minister for state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha, MPs Murali Mohan, Gangaraju Gokaraju, Kambampati Haribabu participated in the program.
Meanwhile, locals of Davajigudem and other villages are using the extended runway as the main road to reach their village in the absence of a proper compound wall. Airport director Madhusudana Rao said setting up the compound wall would take time.
“We have launched the runway but the works will take one more month. The connecting road to aircraft parking will be completed soon,” he said.