As North Coastal Andhra Pradesh steps into a new era of regional connectivity with the upcoming commissioning of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram, an ambitious network of seven master plan roads being executed by the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) has taken centre stage.
Valued at an estimated ₹174.64 crore, the 26.72-km road grid is engineered to bypass heavy urban bottlenecks and provide seamless, rapid transit from Visakhapatnam to the greenfield airport. While several packages have witnessed rapid ground-level execution, segments like the crucial 8.02-km Adavivaram-Sontyam road have encountered distinct deceleration.
Forest clearance bottleneck
The primary impediment holding back uninterrupted progress on the Adavivaram-Sontyam corridor – a vital link connecting the Adavivaram BRTS junction to Gandigudam – is the pending statutory clearance for forest land diversion.
Speaking to The Hindu, a higher official said, “The clearance is yet to come from the State government. We arranged alternative land in Kovvada village in Padmanabham mandal of Visakhapatnam district to compensate. Nearly 6.83 hectares of forest land to be cleared for completion of this 8.02-km-long master plan road. We will be able to complete the road project within two months if forest clearance is granted.”
Because the alignment cuts through or runs adjacent to eco-sensitive foothill zones, it falls under strict statutory frameworks governed by forest and wildlife conservation laws. Navigating the bureaucratic architecture for linear infrastructure passing through green zones inherently involves multi-tiered compliance protocols, mandatory joint field inspections, and administrative approvals involving State and Central machinery.
In addition to the forest diversion files pending final clearance, ancillary site hurdles – such as utility shifting and electrical pole relocation – have compounded the timeline adjustments.
Despite these regulatory hurdles, intensive inter-departmental coordination meetings are under way to fast-track the remaining approvals, ensuring the region’s transport network is fully prepared to handle the anticipated traffic surge toward Bhogapuram.
Published – July 26, 2026 07:24 pm IST
