The Andhra Pradesh government is finalizing arrangements for a high-profile reception for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to inaugurate the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district.
Accompanying the Prime Minister will be Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Goa Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, and state ministers.
To highlight the cultural heritage of North Coastal Andhra Pradesh alongside the landmark infrastructure project, the administration has organized a massive cultural presentation featuring around 13,000 tribal women and female students performing the traditional Dhimsa folk dance.
The performers, drawn from tribal welfare residential institutions across the Paderu, Seethampeta, Parvathipuram, Rampachodavaram, and Araku Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) regions, have undergone intensive training over the past week.
Dressed in uniform traditional attire consisting of pink sarees with green borders, the dancers will be arranged into 433 coordinated groups. They will form synchronized circular formations lining the procession route through which the Prime Minister will travel in an open-top vehicle.
The event organizers have aimed for the performance to set a Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous Dhimsa dance.
Senior officials, including Special Chief Secretary M.T. Krishna Babu and Vizianagaram Collector S. Ramsundar Reddy, reviewed extensive field rehearsals at the airport premises to ensure seamless coordination and logistical readiness.
The state government has deployed over 3,000 state transport buses from Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, and Parvathipuram-Manyam districts to facilitate public transport for thousands attending the inauguration.
Comprehensive security protocols, command control centers, traffic diversions, food courts, and medical bays have been established across the venue.
Built at a cost of over ₹4,700 crore, the greenfield Bhogapuram International Airport features a 3,800-meter Code-E runway engineered to accommodate wide-body long-haul passenger and heavy cargo aircraft.
The facility is set to handle commercial flights starting August 17, easing passenger pressure on the existing Visakhapatnam airport while functioning as an economic catalyst for pharmaceutical, marine, and IT logistics across the region.
By pairing world-class aviation infrastructure with an unprecedented showcase of indigenous tribal arts, the event positions North Andhra Pradesh as both an emerging international trade hub and a custodian of rich cultural traditions.
