Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Sins of omission clip wings of Visakhapatnam airport

Visakhapatnam: Not appointing a regular Director for nearly 10 months, not bringing to use the integrated cargo complex even after spending about Rs.60 lakh on it and, to top it all, transferring more officials speaks volumes of the apathy of the officials towards Vizag airport.

The traffic crossed the 10-lakh mark to register 10,38,958 passengers during 2012-13. Air India launched the first international daily flight to Dubai via Hyderabad and Silk Air launched its direct flight to Singapore thrice a week during 2012. The traffic marginally declined to 10,13,689 during 2013-14 due to the over six-month long Samaikhyandhra agitation.

When Vizianagaram MP P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju was appointed Union Minister for Civil Aviation in the Modi Cabinet, people of the region felt that the Vizag Airport would be put on the fast track of development.

At the maiden Cabinet meet held in the city on June 12, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had promised to develop Vizag as an IT capital, tourist and medical hub, cinema capital and to develop the Visakhapatnam International Airport by freeing it from defence control, if necessary.
22/07/14 B Madhu Gopal/The Hindu
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline