In 2016, the Vijayawada International Airport at Gannavaram in Krishna district was proposed for expansion. The ‘expansion project’ for Vijayawada airport included runway expansion and construction of new terminal buildings as per the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the state government.
While initial surveys indicated that 491.92 acres of land were needed to be acquired for the runway expansion, the government ordered the land pooling scheme for the remaining 687 acres as per the environment clearance report. However, the government later decided to take over nearly 1,230 acres of land under the land pooling scheme.
AAI sought environmental clearance for expansion
Simultaneously, the AAI sought environmental clearance for the expansion of Runway 26, which required water from the Eluru Canal.
The Terms of Reference (TOR) were granted for 148 acres, but eventually, the environmental clearance was granted for 698 acres. After the TOR noted that the Eluru canal cuts through the expansion site, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, on which the environment clearance was based, stated that the Eluru canal will not be diverted during the phase of runway expansion.
EIA report suggested ‘no major displacement of people’
The EIA report also stated that the work does not involve any “major displacement of people”.
In relation to the acquisition proceedings, people have protested at every step and delayed the works to get their demands met. The government acquired land through a Land Pooling Scheme rather than under the LARR Act, 2013. Farmers alleged that the environmental clearance process proceeded without prior public hearings. The farmers demanded that the matter be settled on a priority basis.
In January 2019, the farmers complained that their plots, which are far away from the project site, had also been damaged.
As of August 2019, farmers who had given about 830 acres of land were still awaiting their annuity payments promised to them. They also demanded that the plots allotted to them be developed with the necessary infrastructure, as promised while acquiring their lands, and handed over to them at the earliest.
“The runway works are almost complete, and the other works have reached a final stage. But we still don’t know when we will get the plots. The government should start developing the plots that have been registered in our names and hand them over to us,” the farmers said. In August 2020, District Collector A. Md. Imtiaz offered Rs 9 lakh each to the 423 families residing in Buddhavaram village under the rehabilitation and resettlement package for the land acquisition for the extension of Vijayawada International Airport at Gannavaram. However, the ground reality remains unchanged as of December 2024.
Delays in construction and operational expansion
In 2020, villagers whose land had been acquired for the airport expansion staged a two-day protest against government inaction, demanding fair compensation at the earliest. In response to this, the state government sanctioned Rs 112.75 crore to resolve pending issues related to the development and expansion of Gannavaram Airport, of which Rs 57.20 crore is earmarked to be spent on the shifting of houses from Buddhavaram, Davajigudem and Allapuram villages affected by the airport expansion.
Initially, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu set June 2025 for completion of the New Integrated Terminal Building, which was later pushed to December and then to 31 March 2026.
On 1 April 2026, Vijayawada Airport Director Lakshmi Kantha Reddy told ANI that 80 percent work on the the new terminal has been completed and the remaining work will get done in the next five months.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Refusal to give up land for the project
Demand for promised compensation
Demand for promised land
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Protest against giving their land under Land Pooling Scheme
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Private
N/A
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
2023
Whether the Project has been Delayed
No
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
150
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
2007
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Other, Other, Land Acquisition Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
High Court of Andhra Pradesh
Case Number
Writ Petition No. 21679/2020
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Government of Andhra Pradesh
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Airports Authority of India
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
YSR Congress Party, Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
