Centre to entirely fund beach corridor project in AP
VMRDA to take up road alignment work for which a promise was made to release `67 cr
Visakhapatnam: The cash-strapped Andhra Pradesh Government can heave a sigh of relief with the Government of India coming forward to fund 100 per cent the proposed six-lane beach corridor from Visakhapatnam to Bhogapuram.
The project, being taken up by the State government, is now under study by the Centre. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has engaged a consultant for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR). "Once it's ready, the NDA Government will take up entirely the expenditure to be incurred for the project," BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member GVL Narsimha Rao told Bizz Buzz.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has almost finalised the designs for the project originally conceived from 17th century Dutch township of Bheemunipatnam to the Bhogapuram International Airport to decongest traffic on the highway. The purpose was to ensure hassle-free trouble with the comfort of an expressway.
The State had directed the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) to take up work on road alignment for which a promise was made to release an amount of Rs 67 crore. According to preliminary estimates, land acquisition of 346 acres from Kangavanipalem, Annavaram, Moolakudu and six other villages enroute will cost an estimated amount of nearly Rs 1,000 crore. At a recent review meeting held at Tadepalli, the Chief Minister directed the officials to make the beach corridor project one of the unique connectivity projects enabling the passersby to enjoy the picturesque view of the Bay of Bengal.
Narasimha Rao said the Centre wanted to take up work on the corridor project from Visakha Container Terminal in the city to Bhogapuram. The international airport project at Bhogapuram, about 40 km from here, has been awarded to GMR Group.
