The district authorities have proposed three more sites near Kavali for the proposed airport of Nellore. The new sites were proposed after an expert committee raised some objections over two sites recommended before because of the presence of water bodies. Sources said officials have identified 2,360 acres in north Rajupalem (12 km from Nellore), 1,627 acres in Racharlapadu (23 km from Nellore) and 1,785 acres near Damavaram (30 km from Nellore) in Dagadarthi mandal. Of the three, Damavaram site said to be suitable for the airport since the government owns large tracts of land. Initially, the district administration had identified 1,268 acres near Surveypalli, about 16 km from Nellore. Apart from this, 2,174 acres were identified at Amamcharla, which is about 18 km from the district headquarters. While the Surveypalli MLA, Mr Adala Prabhakar Reddy, is particular about the site in Venkatachalam mandal, the minister for information and public relations and tourism, Mr Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, was very particular about Amamcharla site which is located in his Rapur constituency. The expert committee, which inspected both the sites, expressed some reservations over the suitability of these sites. "As per the norms, sites where water bodies are present are not considered for the airports," said a senior official. "The site should have a stretch for about 2 km without any obstructions for the runway and should be close to the highway," he added. The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, during his recent trip to lay foundation stone for Caparo, directed senior officials to identify other spots in the Kavali area. Sources said that Allur MLA, Mr K. Vishnuvardhan Reddy, and Kovur MLA, Mr Polamreddy Srinivasulu Reddy, prevailed upon the Chief Minister establish the airport in the northern parts of the district while pointing to lack industrial development in Kovur, Allur and Kavali constituencies. They have also pointed out that airports were alrea-dy located in Renigunta and Chennai, close to the southern parts of the district.