Andhra Pradesh Government Awaits Center's Approval for Visakhapatnam Metro Project.

The Andhra Pradesh government has submitted the master plan for the Visakhapatnam Metro Rail project to the Centre and is now awaiting approval before launching the work, according to Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana.

Addressing concerns raised by opposition members in the assembly on Wednesday, Narayana clarified that the government would submit a revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) based on the recent review of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) by Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in Visakhapatnam. He assured the assembly that there was no need for concern regarding the DPR as it would undergo further approval from the Centre once the earlier one is cleared.

Narayana also defended the government's efforts, countering claims that the DPR was not prepared during the previous YSRCP regime. He criticized the previous government for delaying the metro project by failing to send required inputs to the Centre despite repeated reminders. He highlighted that under the AP Reorganization Act of 2014, the Centre is responsible for funding metro projects in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.

He recalled that the TDP government had assigned the responsibility to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in 2014 to prepare the DPR, which DMRC completed in 2015. The proposals included a medium metro system with three corridors covering 42.5 km in Visakhapatnam. However, Narayana claimed that the YSRCP government delayed the project by suspending the tender process initiated in 2019 and further extended the project timelines by bringing in another agency to revise the DPR in 2021, citing the extension of the metro corridor to Bhogapuram.

Although the revised DPR, projecting a cost of ₹14,300 crore, was submitted in 2021, Narayana noted that it was only forwarded to the Centre in 2023 under the YSRCP government.

He added that after the TDP-led NDA government came to power, the Chief Minister had requested the Centre to take over the entire metro project under the Railway Department, with 100% funding, similar to the model of the Kolkata Metro. Narayana expressed hope that the Centre would soon approve the project and expedite its implementation.

ET