Bhogapuram Airport: How YS Jagan Revived a Stalled Project While TDP Now Claims Credit

The Bhogapuram International Greenfield Airport has once again become the centre of a political battle, with the TDP-led coalition attempting to claim ownership of a project that gathered real momentum only during the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government.

YS Jagan Turned a Stalled Proposal into a Ground Reality

On May 3, 2023, then Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy laid the foundation stone for the Bhogapuram International Greenfield Airport, marking a decisive turning point for a project that had remained largely on paper for years.

Unlike the previous government, the YSRCP administration focused on clearing long-pending hurdles instead of making symbolic announcements. The government adopted a three-pronged strategy—completing the acquisition of 2,751 acres, offering enhanced compensation and comprehensive rehabilitation packages to affected farmers and displaced families, and securing every mandatory legal, environmental and statutory clearance required for construction.

The state government also worked in close coordination with the Union government, holding regular consultations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers to obtain the necessary approvals. Official records indicate that overcoming legal disputes, obtaining environmental clearances and resolving procedural bottlenecks took nearly four years. With these obstacles removed, the government set a target of completing construction within two years and commencing flight operations in the third year.

The conceptual design of the international airport was also unveiled during the foundation ceremony, signalling that the project had finally moved from promises to execution.

TDP's Credit Claim Faces Questions

Today, the Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition is aggressively projecting Bhogapuram Airport as its achievement. However, official documents tell a different story.

YSRCP leaders maintain that the most critical milestones—including land acquisition, enhanced compensation to farmers, rehabilitation of displaced families, statutory approvals and the commencement of construction—were accomplished during the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government. They argue that the coalition is merely taking political credit for a project whose toughest and most time-consuming groundwork had already been completed.

A Proposal That Remained Stuck During TDP Rule

The proposal for a new international airport at Bhogapuram was first announced in 2015, after the existing Visakhapatnam Airport was deemed inadequate to meet future aviation requirements.

The then TDP government initiated land acquisition by proposing to acquire nearly 15,000 acres, triggering massive protests from farmers across Bhogapuram mandal. Facing intense public opposition, the government was forced to reduce the acquisition plan to around 5,000 acres.

The compensation package of ₹12.5 lakh per acre also became a major flashpoint. Farmers alleged that owners of assigned lands were denied equal compensation, leading to widespread dissatisfaction. The protests intensified in August 2015, with several affected landowners approaching the Andhra Pradesh High Court, throwing the project into prolonged legal uncertainty.

Foundation Stone Before Resolving Core Issues

Despite pending litigation and unresolved disputes over compensation and rehabilitation, the then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the airport on February 14, 2019, just months before the Assembly elections.

Political opponents criticised the move as an election-time exercise, pointing out that key issues—including land acquisition disputes, rehabilitation of displaced families and statutory clearances—had not been resolved. With no meaningful progress on the ground, the project remained stalled until the YSRCP government addressed the legal, administrative and rehabilitation challenges that had prevented construction from taking off.

YSRCP leaders contend that while the TDP laid a ceremonial foundation stone, it was the Jagan government that converted the long-delayed airport project into an executable reality by resolving the issues that had kept it in limbo for years.