AP govt ropes in DMRC to prepare DPRs for Vijayawada, Vizag metro rail projects

Govt has decided to utilise the services of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation as they have a proven track record in this field, says official

The Andhra Pradesh government has appointed Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) for the proposed metro rail projects in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam cities.

“The government has decided to utilise the services of DMRC as it has a proven track record in this field. We also expect them to prepare these reports as fast as possible,” a senior government official overseeing the preparatory work on these projects told Business Standard.

The AP government had appointed former DMRC chief E Sreedharan as the principal advisor to advise the government on developing the metro rail projects. He made a visit to the proposed locations to make a preliminary assessment on the scope and size of these projects.  

With Hyderabad being declared as an integral part of Telangana following the state bifurcation, the Centre had promised  to support the truncated AP in developing the urban infrastructure, including metro rail projects, besides providing financial assistance to build a new capital city among other things.

On Wednesday, principal secretary of municipal and urban development department, D Sambasiva Rao, issued the orders appointing the DMRC for preparing the DPRs for Vijayawada and Vizag metro rail projects. In the case of the proposed metro project of Tirupati town, the government has sought a feasibility report from the firm in the first stage.   

The government had earlier indicated that it wanted the first phase of the projects of both Vijayawada and Vizag to be ready in three and half years.The government had announced to build the new capital around Vijayawada city while seeking to promote Visakhapatnam as an industrial hub.