Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chopper landed on a refurbished British-era narrow strip at the under-construction airport to reach the Vellore fort by road on the Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 44) for a public meeting that was held on Wednesday to garner votes for BJP candidate A.C. Shanmugam for the Lok Sabha election. The airport occupies a large portion of the landscape in this ancient village of Abdullapuram.
Abdullapuram awaits the commissioning of the airport to regain its old splendour days of active movement of people and goods. For others, including students, especially at VIT, medical practitioners at CMC, local traders and businessmen, the airport would provide a low-cost travel option . However, delay in commissioning the new facility due to necessary security clearance from the Centre has put a question mark over this proposal. “The new airport will also generate jobs in other areas like taxis, autorickshaws, shops and hotels on the highway. The area around the airport will become a business hub,” said K. Ramesh, a trader. Currently, small businessmen, especially in the leather sector, have to depend on trains, mostly at Katpadi railway station where most of the express trains, including Vande Bharat, halt. They seek more long-distance trains to be halted at major railway stations like Ambur, Gudiyatham, Vaniyambadi and Vellore Cantonment.
