Naidu for drawing timelines to implement connectivity projects

Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who has turned a key player in the national polity after leading the three-party alliance comprising TDP, BJP and Jana Sena Party to a spectacular performance in the May 13 general elections, has directed the officials to draw up timelines to aggressively pursue and expedite work on several connectivity projects including Visakhapatnam-Bhogapuram 6-lane Beach Corridor and Visakhapatnam Rapid Transit Metro System.

The mega projects need permission as well as funding by the Central Government. Incidentally, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, during his visit to Visakhapatnam last year, had announced in-principle sanction of a 55-km beach corridor project connecting Visakhapatnam Port to Bhogapuram.

Sources told Bizz Buzz that after apprising the Central leadership to sanction funds liberally to the pending connectivity projects, Naidu advised the officials to periodically take stock of the progress and inform him whenever his intervention is required.

The beach corridor and metro rail projects assume importance as the Bhogapuram International Airport, now built under DBFOT mode, is under construction by the GMR Group, at a distance of 45 km from Visakhapatnam. The first phase of the project envisaging handling capacity of six million passengers will involve an investment of nearly Rs 5,000 crore.

While the project proponent is scheduled to make it commercially operational by end of 2026, Naidu, known as a hard taskmaster, during his recent visit to the project site, asked GMR to try to complete it by June, 2026. Naidu has already declared his plans to develop Visakhapatnam as a fintech hub.

Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu also later said that he will extend all-out support to GMR Group to complete the project ahead of schedule as per the wishes of the Chief Minister. The Metro Rail Project, which hit a roadblock for the past several years, is also expected to gather steam. The Centre has asked the State Government to submit a Comprehensive Mobility Plan for the metro project. The project is likely to be taken up under the PPP route. According to the revised DPR submitted in the past, the Visakhapatnam Light Metro Project over a stretch of 76.9 km will need an investment of Rs 14,300 crore.