Visakhapatnam : Commercial flight operations commenced at the newly developed Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district from midnight as Visakhapatnam Airport in Andhra Pradesh slipped into history.

All commercial operations at the Civil Enclave at Visakhapatnam Airport (INS Dega) shifted to Bhogapuram Airport, about 45 km away, with effect from 00.01 hours on Monday (August 17).

The International Air Transport Code “VTZ” for Visakhapatnam Airport was transferred to Bhogapuram International Greenfield Airport. Scoot Airlines’ flight to Singapore was the first to take off from the new airport around midnight.

IndiGo flight from Hyderabad landed at Bhogapuram Airport at 6.45 a.m. GMR representatives, airport and Vizianagaram district officials welcomed the flight. Passengers were presented with Etikoppaka toys as mementoes.

First domestic flight from the new airport took off for Hyderabad at 7.30 a.m. Later flights to Bengaluru, Delhi and Hyderabad were operated.

Earlier, teary-eyed staff at Visakhapatnam Airport bid an emotional farewell to the last flight, which took off at 10.45 p.m. on Sunday. IndiGo 6E 2018 was the last flight to take off for Delhi.

Built during World War II and opened to civilian operations in 1962, the airport has been a key part of Visakhapatnam’s aviation history. However, the shifting of airport operations to Bhogapuram has rendered about 1,000 people unemployed at Visakhapatnam Airport. The workers have appealed to the state and Central governments to provide them alternate jobs.

According to the notification issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry late last month, the commercial operations at the Civil Enclave at Visakhapatnam Airport (INS Dega) will cease for 30 years, except for airport activity at time of national emergency or by aircraft owned or operated by or for the Indian Air Force or other Armed Forces of India or police or any such other authorities or for transportation of dignitaries by special government owned, leased or hired VIP aircraft.

Authorities are operating 20 electric buses from Visakhapatnam to Bhogapuram Airport for the convenience of air travellers.

IndiGo, Air India Express and other airlines are operating services to domestic destinations like Hyderabad, Tirupati, Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. Scoot Airlines and Air India operate flights to Singapore while IndiGo operates flights to Abu Dhabi.

All airlines shifted their operations from Visakhapatnam Airport to Bhogapuram Airport.

According to officials, 31 flights will be operated from Bhogapuram Airport on the first day. About 6,000 to 7,000 passengers will travel by these flights.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Bhogapuram Airport on August 1.

Developed and operated by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL) under the Public Private Partnership model at a cost of nearly Rs 4,727 crore, Bhogapuram is among the fastest-completed Greenfield international airports in India. It was completed within 31 months, nearly five months ahead of schedule.

The airport has been designed to handle six million passengers annually in the first phase, with a master plan to expand capacity to 40 million passengers annually in the future.

Its airside infrastructure includes a 3,800-metre Code 4E runway, capable of handling wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A330 and Airbus A340, a parallel taxiway, rapid-exit taxiways and 18 aircraft stands.

The airport is also equipped with advanced airfield lighting, navigation aids and CNS/ATM infrastructure to support both domestic and international operations.

The project is expected to play a pivotal role in boosting economic growth, tourism, industrial investment, exports, logistics, and the aerospace and defence sectors across the erstwhile Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam districts.

The integrated project spans 2,703.26 acres, including 2,203.32 acres for the airport, 500 acres for the aviation hub, and 136.63 acres for Aviation University/EduCity.

Patna: Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishor formally took the oath as the new MLA from the Bankipur Assembly constituency on Monday.

Bihar Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar administered the oath to him in his chamber, allowing Kishor to officially participate in legislative proceedings and begin his responsibilities as an elected representative.

Prashant Kishor reached the Assembly accompanied by senior leaders and supporters of the Jan Suraaj Party.

The Bankipur by-election was held on July 30, with results announced on August 3.

Prashant Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by 19,246 votes, while the RJD candidate achieved third position and lost the security deposit.

The oath was administered in the Speaker’s chamber because the Assembly is currently not in session.

The monsoon session has already concluded, while the winter session is still some time away.

In such circumstances, the Speaker can administer the oath to a newly elected member separately.

After winning Bankipur, Prashant Kishor said that residents would begin seeing visible changes within two to three months.

He outlined several priorities, particularly relating to employment, education, ration distribution and social security.

His key announcements include Private-sector employment, wherein he would make an effort to facilitate jobs for 10,000 young people.

He has also promised to make arrangements to help children access private schooling. He has also promised to improve the ration-card system within three months.

Apart from that, a proposed Rs 1,100 monthly pension for people aged 60 and above.

Prashant Kishor has also begun planning beyond his Bankipur responsibilities.

According to the information provided, his political organisation is preparing for the upcoming Teacher and Graduate constituency Legislative Council elections as well as Panchayat elections in Bihar.

He is also expected to undertake another statewide tour as Jan Suraaj continues expanding its reach.

With Monday’s oath-taking, Kishor has formally entered the Bihar Legislative Assembly as an elected representative, shifting his focus from electoral campaigning to legislative and constituency-level work.

Thiruvananthapuram: Three months into the V.D. Satheesan government, state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala’s signature campaign is emerging as one of its biggest public-impact initiatives.

When Chennithala returned to the Home portfolio after a gap of a decade, he did not take long to identify what he believed was the most urgent battle facing Kerala, the state’s rapidly spreading drug menace.

Three months into the Satheesan government, Operation Toofan, conceived and driven by Chennithala, is beginning to provide him with numbers that underline the scale of the campaign.

As of date since the campaign began, 9,085 cases have been registered and 9,795 arrests made so far; the operation has emerged as one of the government’s most visible interventions against the drug network operating across the state.

The latest statewide crackdown on Saturday added 38 more cases and 38 arrests.

The seizures so far include 7,460.567 grams of MDMA, 961.450 kg of ganja and 4,720.909 grams of hashish oil.

But Toofan was conceived as more than a police operation. For several years, Kerala has watched with growing alarm as drug abuse moved from being a problem discussed in police stations to one being confronted inside homes.

News reports of school and college students falling prey to narcotics, youngsters becoming users and, in some cases, turning into carriers for quick money, have made the issue a deeply personal one for thousands of families.

It was against this backdrop that Chennithala chose the drug menace as one of his priorities after taking charge.

Now at 70 years of age, and with the experience of having entered the State Cabinet when he was 28 under the late K. Karunakaran, Chennithala has sought to combine political experience with a campaign designed to take the fight beyond the police force.

He travelled across the state, interacted with people from different walks of life and sought to create a community-based resistance by enrolling them as ‘Toofan Warriors’.

The idea was simple: the fight against drugs cannot be left to the police alone.

The latest figures suggest that the campaign has developed a substantial preventive and awareness component alongside enforcement.

On a single day, Kerala Police conducted 65 awareness classes across the state, taking the cumulative number to 8,994.

As many as 564 counselling sessions have also been conducted, while school and college Protection Groups have organised 6,482 awareness programmes.

The latest round of cases included 10 for possession of small quantities and one involving a medium quantity, besides 27 cases under the NDPS Act and 16 under COTPA.

Police also seized 3.343 kg of ganja from those booked.

For Chennithala, Toofan is consequently becoming more than a government programme.

It is turning into a political statement that the battle against drugs must be fought simultaneously on the streets, in educational institutions and inside homes.

Three months may be too early for victory claims. But if the numbers are any indication, the Home Minister’s first major battle under the Satheesan government has certainly begun to gather momentum.