Kothagudem: The proposed greenfield airport in Bhadradri Kothagudem district has moved a step closer to reality with officials from a Central technical team and Airports Authority of India (AAI) conducting a field inspection of alternative sites identified by the state government.
The officials, accompanied by Khammam MP Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy, inspected proposed locations at Seethampeta, Gareebpeta, and Abbugudem on Monday as part of the site-selection process.
The inspection assumes significance as two locations examined earlier were reportedly found unsuitable due to technical reasons. The state government subsequently proposed six alternative locations for consideration.
The MP, along with the officials, visited several areas, walking through muddy stretches and hilly terrain to assess the suitability of the sites.
The team examined the geographical features, terrain and other factors relevant to the construction and operation of an airport.
The central team is assessing various technical parameters, including the feasibility of aircraft landing and take-off, geographical conditions, weather patterns and the availability of suitable land for construction of a runway.
Officials are expected to prepare a technical report after completing the field inspections.
The report will form the basis for identifying the most suitable location for the proposed airport.
The proposed airport is expected to provide a major boost to connectivity and promote industrial, tourism and transport development in the district.
It could also facilitate air connectivity for pilgrims visiting the Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy Temple at Bhadrachalam, one of the prominent pilgrimage centres in the region.
The project has been a long-standing demand of people in the erstwhile Khammam region and the latest field-level assessment has renewed hopes of the aviation facility becoming a reality.
The central technical team is scheduled to inspect proposed sites in Dummugudem and Palvancha mandals on Tuesday.
The final location is expected to be selected after completing field inspections of all the proposed sites and assessing their technical feasibility.
