The inauguration of Bhogapuram International Airport is being projected as a landmark moment for North Andhra.
Leaders of the ruling alliance have hailed it as a game changer that will transform the region and create thousands of employment opportunities.
While those promises may become a reality in the future, the immediate situation is far less encouraging.
As Bhogapuram Airport prepares to begin operations, hundreds of workers at Visakhapatnam Airport have suddenly lost their livelihoods.
For decades, Visakhapatnam Airport operated as a civil enclave at the Indian Navy’s INS Dega airbase, with the Airports Authority of India managing civilian passenger services.
With commercial operations now shifting to the newly developed Bhogapuram Airport, management has moved into the hands of the GMR Group, a private company.
Like any private enterprise, GMR is expected to rely on its own contractors and workforce, with salaries and employment terms based on its business model rather than retaining the existing contract workers from Visakhapatnam Airport.
This is a commercial decision, and private companies are entitled to make such operational choices.
However, while GMR’s hiring policy may be understandable, the government cannot completely distance itself from the consequences.
Nearly 700 workers, most of them employed through contract agencies, have reportedly been informed that their services are no longer required as operations at Visakhapatnam Airport wind down.
As a result, hundreds of families have been left without a source of income almost overnight.
As the government celebrates the opening of Bhogapuram Airport on August 1, it must also acknowledge the human cost of closing civilian operations at Visakhapatnam Airport.
Development should not come at the expense of those who helped keep the old airport functioning for years.
At the very least, the government should ensure rehabilitation, facilitate alternative employment or provide suitable support to the workers who have lost their jobs.
True development is measured not only by new infrastructure but also by how fairly it treats the people affected by change.
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