Visakhapatnam: Even six months after the state Cabinet approved the detailed project report prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the Vizag Metro Rail project, it still has to get the Union government’s nod. The Vizag Metro Rail project, which was proposed even before the bifurcation of the state to provide a safe, speedy and affordable mode of transportation to Vizagites, has failed to make any visible progress.
Fast-tracking the project, the state government has formed a special purpose vehicle as well as sought the Union government’s approval to get loan from other funding agencies. However, nothing seems to be going as planned. The DPR preparation itself had been delayed due to various reasons, including bringing the Gajuwaka section into the Metro Rail ambit. Later, the DPR was kept pending with the state government for months before sending it to the scrutiny of the Union government. Funding for this humungous project is also a concern as Union Finance Minister Arun Jailtley has agreed to contribute only 20 percent equity for this Rs 12,500 crore project in his recent letter to the state against its proposal of providing 100 per cent equity as promised during bifurcation.
It was also learnt that the projected peak hour per direction traffic was far behind the criteria of Metro Rail, which has become a hindrance in the way of obtaining approval. The state government has earlier sought the Union government’s approval to avail a loan for Rs 6,371 crore from Japan International Cooperative Agency, which is also yet to be ratified.
A GVMC official, who has been coordinating with the DMRC, informed: “Since the Union government is diligently working on Metro Rail projects, we expect that the approvals would be accorded in the next few days.” When asked how the projected low peak hour per direction traffic could affect the future of the project, he informed that it wasn’t an issue as the Union government itself has first proposed the Vizag Metro Rail project.
