Ex-MLA urges govt to continue Vizag airport operations

Visakhapatnam: Former MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar has urged the government to continue operating the Visakhapatnam airport even after the upcoming Bhogapuram international airport becomes operational. Speaking to the media on Friday, he said he was appealing both as a local leader and as a resident of Visakhapatnam.“If the airport is shifted out of the city, the growth of Visakhapatnam could be affected. Local leaders, civil society organisations and residents should come together and demand that the airport continue in the city. A large number of tourists arrive in Visakhapatnam through the airport, so there is no need to move operations elsewhere. Several airports across the country, including those in Jammu & Kashmir, Goa, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Pathankot and Agra, continue to function alongside defence establishments,” he said.While welcoming the Bhogapuram airport project and the development it could bring to Vizianagaram district, Ganesh Kumar said it should not come at the cost of Visakhapatnam. He pointed out that the new airport is about 50 km away from the city and questioned how existing airport employees would manage such a long commute without transport allowances or housing facilities.He also expressed concern about emergency healthcare services. With Visakhapatnam emerging as a major healthcare hub and organ transplant procedures increasing, the former MLA said shifting airport operations far from the city could affect the timely transportation of vital organs such as hearts and livers needed for life-saving surgeries.