Srikakulam District Collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said on Thursday (July 30, 2026) that 737 buses would be operated from different parts of the district to the international airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district on August 1, 2026. He said the district administration had made elaborate arrangements for breakfast and lunch for people attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public meeting at the airport premises on Saturday.

An exclusive control room had been set up to monitor the movement of buses and the facilities created for Srikakulam residents, he said. LED screens had been put up at various places to let people know about the facilities at the new airport, and Mr. Pundkar said the drone visuals shown on those screens on Wednesday had drawn appreciation from the people.

Meanwhile, TDP leaders in Srikakulam district are jubilant over the construction of the airport at Bhogapuram. Andhra Pradesh Kalinga Komati Corporation Chairman and senior TDP leader Boina Govindarajulu said the airport was built quickly because of the constant follow-up by Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu, who is the Srikakulam Lok Sabha MP.

He said the airport would also be a big advantage for air travellers. Earlier they had to travel up to Visakhapatnam, and now they need travel hardly 45 km from Srikakulam to reach the new airport, he said.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA of the Etcherla Assembly constituency N. Eswara Rao said on Thursday that the Bhogapuram-Pydibhimavaram stretch would become a major industrial and economic hub of Andhra Pradesh, since the distance between the two places is hardly 20-25 km. Along with other public representatives, he visited the airport premises and reviewed the food and other arrangements for people attending the inauguration on August 1, 2026.

“Bhogapuram, Pydibhimavaram and Etcherla are on the same stretch of National Highway 16. The stretch is already known for multinational bulk drug industries in Pydibhimavaram and the surrounding areas. Now, the airport, an aviation university and the Reliance data centre will ensure the quick development of the region. The established civic infrastructure on this stretch will help people settle here happily,” Mr. Eswara Rao said.

For the inauguration of the newly constructed Alluri Sitharama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district, the State government is giving top priority to the direct involvement of people in the ceremony on August 1.

The government is planning to mobilise at least two lakh people for the event. Chief Minister and TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has asked all MLAs to mobilise the maximum number of people for the function, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public meeting. The legislators were asked to supervise transport for the people and make the public meeting a success.

The TDP high command appointed observers for every Assembly constituency in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts. Ministers Kondapalli Srinivas, Kolusu Parthasarathy, B.C. Janardhan Reddy, Vangalapudi Anitha and others are holding review meetings in the respective constituencies to assess the preparedness for the function. Rajam MLA Kondru Murali said people from all walks of life were keen to take part in the public meeting and see the facilities at the new airport. He said everyone in the north Andhra region was connected emotionally to the airport, since it would spur economic activity and benefit them directly and indirectly.

With three days left for the function, the government is monitoring the final phase of works at the airport. It has asked the GMR group to complete all pending works by July 30, so that there is no confusion in the remaining two days. Collector S. Ramsundar Reddy and other senior officials are reviewing the arrangements at the main venue, where nearly 13,000 students would welcome the Prime Minister with the Dhimsa dance.

Union Minister for Civil Aviation K. Rammohan Naidu and Minister for Education Nara Lokesh have been visiting the airport almost every alternate day to oversee the arrangements. It is the first major inaugural function in the State since the NDA came to power in 2024.

Gateway for economic development

Minister for Information and Public Relations Kolusu Parthasarathy said on Tuesday that the Alluri Sitarama Raju airport at Bhogapuram would be a new gateway for the economic development of Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference on the airport premises, he said the government had attracted investments worth ₹6.12 lakh crore, and that 189 development projects were being taken up. He said the airport would be a game changer, with development activity coming up in and around the region.

Mr. Parthasarathy said other States were struck by the pace of progress in Andhra Pradesh over the last two years, and that nearly five lakh jobs would be created through development work in north Andhra, Rayalaseema, Amaravati and other regions. In an indirect reference to the YSR Congress Party, he said the Opposition was unable to digest the progress made and the speed of the government’s decisions.

.