Much-awaited metro rail project to take off soon

Visakhapatnam: Post bifurcation, the metro rail project was proposed in the newly-formed Andhra Pradesh state. But the project did not move further except for readying a detailed project report (DPR) for it.

The NDA alliance government now has accorded top priority to the metro rail project and within six months of assuming power, efforts have been made to proceed beyond the DPR stage. The government has given its nod to the first phase of the much-awaited metro rail project. A GO was issued on Monday approving the detailed project report (DPR) related to the metro rail project. As part of it, 46.23-km-long three corridors will be constructed and 30.67-km in the following phase.

The government cancelled GO No161 issued by the previous YSRCP government which wanted to go in for a light metro rail project in Visakhapatnam for a 76.9-km- long stretch. It was proposed to construct four long corridors at a cost of Rs 14,309 crore.

The project was proposed as 40 percent of the cost would be borne by the Central government under the Viability Gap Fund-PPP mode and the remaining 60 percent would be mobilised from private developers.

However, the coalition government prepared a new DPR to make way for four corridors wherein the first three will be developed initially and the fourth corridor later.

In connection with the long proposal, efforts are made to get the entire cost of the project from the Centre.

State Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P Narayana recently went to Delhi and requested the Union government to extend support to Visakhapatnam Metro on the similar lines of metro rail project in Kolkata which is fully funded by the Centre.

The first corridor of 34.4-km-long will be built from the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant to Kommadi junction, while the second corridor with a stretch of 5.08-km from Gurudwara to Old Post Office. A 6.75-km-long third corridor will be constructed from Thatichetlapalem to Chinna Waltair. Apart from the cost of the required land, it is estimated in the DPR that Rs11,498 crore will be required.

Officials estimated that 99.75 acres of land are required for these three corridors and another Rs.882 crore is needed for that.

In the second phase, the fourth corridor will be developed in a 30.67-km stretch that extends from Kommadi to Bhogapuram Green Field International Airport with an estimated cost of Rs.5,734 crore.

Approximately, 6.13 acres of land acquisition is required for the purpose which is estimated to cost about Rs.23 crore.

The fourth corridor will be developed with 42 stations, while the corridor that runs from Kommadi to Steel Plant will halt at 29 stations.