By K Srinivasa Rao
Copyright thehindu
The long proposed 100-feet road connecting Vizianagaram to Bhogapuram international airport remains only on paper, even though the airport is expected to begin operations in June, 2026.
The Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) had proposed the 100-feet road from the Ice Factory junction in Vizianagaram to Bhogapuram, via Chintalavalasa, but the government could not take up the project due to reported paucity of funds.
Currently, the existing road is hardly 40-feet wide and is inadequate to handle the anticipated rush of traffic in the future.
According to representatives of various organisations, there is a need for a dedicated road network to facilitate smooth, hassle free travel for air passengers coming from Odisha, Saluru, Parvatipuram, Gajapathinagaram, and other places. The current route between Vizianagaram to Bhogapuram via Denkada is congested since it is the only route available to more than 50,000 employees working in Pusapatirega and Pydibhimavaram industrial corridors. The buses of pharmaceutical and other companies ply this route regularly picking and dropping employees working in different shifts. Many school and college buses also use this route during peak hours.
Groups such as the Vizianagaram Chamber of Commerce, along with CREDAI, Forum for Better Vizianagaram and others had previously requested the government to develop a new road. Vizianagaram Powra Vedika president Bhisetti Babji has urged the government to develop the 100-feet road as it will not only ease traffic but improve economic activity along the route. He asked also appealed to the government to ensure employment to locals at the airport. When contacted, Vizianagaram Collector S. Rama Sundar Reddy said that development of the new road would be brought to the attention of the government.
