Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Security recently approved a proposal to set up the newest missile testing range in the quiet Diviseema region along the coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh. The facility, reportedly spanning more than 300 acres in Gullalamoda village in the Nagayalanka mandal, will be used to test advanced surface-to-air and anti-tank missiles developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Although the proposal has been in the works for nearly a decade, locals are now waking up to the recent development with a mix of excitement and hope. They hope that the tourism hotspot will finally receive its due with infrastructure improvements like better roads.
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Gullalamoda is surrounded by the Krishna River and the Bay of Bengal. The confluence point, along with the thick mangroves are the village's most significant natural assets. Locals hope that the launch of the facility will bring in an influx of people to their area, creating new employment opportunities and introducing industries like hospitality that will financially benefit the local youth.
However, residents also wish that their medical needs will be addressed once the project is completed. "There are 22 village panchayats and some hamlets in this mandal. For any X-ray or ECG test, we have to travel at least 15 to 20 km. If it is a serious health issue, a patient must travel more than 50 to 60 km," said T. Raghu Shekhar, a local health activist involved in organising medical camps. "Once the facility is operational, we hope the central government sets up a good government hospital here. When they are using our land, is it wrong to expect something from the government?"
The missile testing facility will have the company of an existing central project. The Nagayalanka oil fields are operated by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
A few years ago, Nagayalanka and its surrounding villages, including Gullalamoda, gained attention for having a skewed child sex ratio. According to the 2011 census and a study conducted by an NGO in 2014, the mandal recorded one of the lowest child sex ratios in the united Andhra Pradesh state. There were media reports on how unmarried men were struggling to find matches due to the scarcity of females. Although the situation seems to have improved since then, men from some communities still face challenges and often marry women from outside the district.
The region is known for its unique mud crab cultivation and Sankranthi boat races but it is the missile testing center that is expected to put the region on the global map.