After The Hindu report, Collector orders GMR to repair roads damaged in Bhogapuram airport construction

Vizianagaram Collector S. Ramsundar Reddy on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) directed GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL) to immediately repair the roads in and around the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram that were badly damaged by heavy vehicles during its construction. He also asked them to lay new roads where needed, using corporate social responsibility (CSR) or other funds, so that people in villages adjacent to the airport could travel without difficulty.

The Hindu had reported the difficulties of the people of Dibbalapalem, Ravada, Byreddipalem, Gudepuvalasa, Kancheru and other villages in a report, “Roads damaged during Bhogapuram airport construction leave villages cut off, farmers unable to reach fields,” published on October 12, 2026. Responding to the report, the Collector spoke to senior revenue officials and senior executives of GVIAL and asked them to take up road repairs immediately.

The report said many villages had been cut off from one another after the airport was built on nearly 2,500 acres, and farmers could not take their produce home or carry fertilisers to their fields because the approach roads were damaged. Officials had said a shortage of funds had delayed the work.

“We directed the GVIAL authorities to take up road repairs immediately since many farmers had complained that they are unable to move to their agriculture fields also. The approach roads got damaged and there was a cut off of the connectivity between many villages. We will constantly follow up the issue and ensure road repairs very soon,” Mr. Ramsundar Reddy told The Hindu.

Service road link

He said he had asked National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials to ensure connectivity between the airport and the service roads of the national highway as early as possible. “During return trip from the airport, everyone has to move to six lane roads instead of service roads. NHAI assured to do necessary changes in a couple of weeks,” he said. Passengers using the service roads now have to travel at least eight kilometres to reach the highway, the only route to the airport, The Hindu had reported.

The Collector said NHAI would also widen the service road to merge the traffic with the six-lane road near the Rajapulova junction. Once the improvements were made at the junction, which lies between Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam, there would be no congestion on the service road at Rajapulova, he said.