A newly inaugurated international airport in Andhra Pradesh caught a surprise this week as visitors dragged out ornamental plants from the grounds after their inauguration.
Narendra Modi inaugurated Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Bhogapuram near Visakhapatnam on 1 August 2026. A greenfield airport facility at a cost of ₹5,000 crore is one of the latest developments in Andhra Pradesh. The airport will serve as a hub for domestic and international travelers and will be a major gateway to the region.
A modern passenger terminal with a capacity to serve more than 6 million passengers annually and a long runway for large aircraft has been built at the airport, as well as lush greenery and fountains and eco-friendly facilities. Commercial flights will be launched on August 17, 2026.
But just days after the inauguration, there were online videos of visitors removing ornamental plants from the airport’s landscaped areas. The footage shows people taking away decorative shrubs and flowering plants set up on walkways and a fountain. Most of the people in the videos appeared to be in business casual outfits, which was a surprise to many online observers.
The visuals went viral and citizens felt that the act was disrespectful to public property. People wondered why newly planted landscaping at a major public infrastructure project would be damaged so soon after it got its chance to get going.
The issue soon developed into a larger discussion about civic responsibility in India. Social media users argued that the issue goes beyond one incident and is indicative of a larger problem in promoting respect for public property. Public funds are not for private property; people said infrastructure projects funded with public money should be treated with the same care and protection that people would give to private property.
Some people also suggested that authorities should consider more serious penalties to deal with vandalism or theft of public infrastructure. Other users expressed that there need to be more security staff and CCTV cameras at new public facilities. Some thought that visible enforcement would prevent such behavior from happening in future public events.
As for civic education, it was another common theme in online discussions. They argued that awareness campaigns on public responsibility should be tied to big infrastructure projects. Schools, colleges, and community organizations could play a bigger role in promoting the fact that parks, airports, railway stations, monuments, and other public facilities belong to all and therefore need collective care.
The incident also reopened discussions about public attitudes toward shared assets. Many users were critical of those who removed the plants and warned against making generalized statements about the behaviors of a few people and that an individual is not the only one. Most people like to get in public areas, they said, and that isolated incidents should be addressed through accountability and not through stereotypes.
Modi opened a new airport in India
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 6, 2026
Crowds of people flocked to see him...
...and take the plants that the landscapers had installed 🤣
Writer: Ianpic.twitter.com/oEAxQ67tIU
Despite the controversies, the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport is still a significant step in Andhra Pradesh’s aviation and economic development. The airport will provide better connection to Visakhapatnam and all its surrounding parts, will attract investment, will boost tourism, and will create employment opportunities for the local people. Aviation experts believe that the facility will be instrumental in the growth of passenger and cargo traffic and will help strengthen the state’s transport system.
When commercial operations start later in the month, the airport’s readiness is now not only being taken into account but the infrastructure and the surrounding landscaped areas. The viral videos have shown that the construction of world-class public facilities is only one part of development; the rest of the public is also going to be respected and maintained.
The incident reminds us that infrastructure projects are a collective investment. To protect them, by acting safely, by having security in place, by providing civic education, or to protect them from the hands of others or to ensure that future generations can use them.
