Changes Likely To Visakh Metro Route Alignment

Vijayawada:Telugu Desam state president and Gajuwaka MLA, Palla Srinivasa Rao, on Tuesday sought a comprehensive reassessment of the proposed Metro route alignment to safeguard public interest in Gajuwaka.

The MLA held deliberations with the managing director of the state Metro Rail Corporation, NP Ramakrishna Reddy at the APMRCL headquarters in Mangalagiri.

The interaction comes amid representations from local stakeholders, including members of the Gajuwaka building association, residential communities, and small business owners who have raised their concern over the potential displacement and land acquisition implications of the current metro alignment.

Srinivasa Rao contended that the existing alignment, originally drawn up in 2015, may no longer reflect the realities of Visakhapatnam’s evolving urban fabric. Citing rapid infrastructural expansion and shifting land use patterns, he proposed that the design be revisited and revised through an updated field inspection and ground-level verification.

He said the metro project’s implementation must be people-centric and sensitive to livelihood concerns.

In response, Ramakrishna Reddy promised the formation of a fresh technical committee to undertake a holistic review of the alignment, with a mandate to assess social impact and optimise land acquisition. The review is expected to balance engineering feasibility with socio-economic considerations, thereby charting a course that is both progressive and equitable, he said.