More than 10 months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone, the station redevelopment work of Visakhapatnam Junction is progressing at a snail’s place. Though some works are going on, the proposed new station building is stuck at the Railway Board, according to railway sources.
The foundation stone for the construction of the new station building on the Gnanapuram-side of Visakhapatnam railway station, was laid by the Prime Minister on November 12, last year. The estimated cost of the project was ₹456 crore.
There hardly seems to be any progress, except for building of pillars for construction of multi-level parking on either side of the railway station. “The approval of the Railway Board for construction of the new station building on the Gnanapuram-side is awaited, and we are confident of getting it in a couple of months,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
A provision was made for construction of two additional platforms in the ‘station redevelopment plan’ of Visakhapatnam Junction. The previous Divisional Railway Manager Anup Satpathy had also obtained the sanction of the Railway Board for construction of two new lines between Visakhapatnam and Gopalapatnam, at a cost of ₹159.47 crore and a few other projects at a total cost of ₹800 crore.
(The other projects, approved by the Railway Board include: the 3rd and 4th lines between Vadlapudi Gate junction cabin and Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, between Duvvada and Simhachalam North, and a rail flyover project between Gopalapatnam and Simhachalam north station to avoid surface crossing at Simhachalam.)
‘Cost escalation’
These major infrastructure projects are essential to reduce congestion, give a boost to rail infrastructure development in Visakhapatnam and to meet the growing needs of the biggest city in Andhra Pradesh. “The delay in the starting of these approved works will result in cost escalation,” say railway sources.
“The 3rd and 4th line between Visakhapatnam and Gopalapatnam, which was sanctioned by the Railway Board should be taken up on a top priority to clear the bottleneck and ease traffic congestion at Visakhapatnam junction,” says BJP State Council Member N. Gajapathi Rao.
The BJP government was magnanimous in announcing the Visakhapatnam-headquartered South Coast Railway Zone (S Co R), before the last general elections in 2019. People of North Andhra had expected that the Prime Minister would lay the foundation during his visit to the city in November, last year, and work on construction of the zonal headquarters would begin. But, it has not happened till date.
Undue delays will result in escalation of project cost, which can run into crores of rupees. Union Minister of State for Railways Darshana Jardosh, who is presently in the city, should bring these issues to the notice of her senior Cabinet colleague Ashwini Vaishnaw, say rail users.
