VISAKHAPATNAM: Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the new South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) has been prepared and Rs 106.89 crore has been sanctioned for establishing its headquarters in Visakhapatnam, Union minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in response to a query raised by TDP MP from Srikakulam K Rammohan Naidu.
An outlay of Rs 10 crore has been provided for the same in 2023-24, he added. In a written reply, the Union minister explained that the East Coast Railway Zone has been directed to take up works such as land survey, preparation of complete layout plan of SCoR/Headquarter office, residential colony and other construction pre-requisites.
Rammohan Naidu sought details about the date on which the construction for the SCoR headquarters began, the date on which it is likely to be completed, the acquired land, and whether or not the State government has plans to construct a railway line between Visakhapatnam junction and Gopalapatnam.
Vaishnaw said establishing the SCoR zone headquarters in 52.2 acres at Mudasarlova was one of the options proposed in the DPR. He added the land was to be handed over by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) in lieu of the railway land taken for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project. The State government is yet to identify the land in Mudasarlova and hand it over to the railways, he explained.
Pointing out that there is an existing double line connectivity between Vizag and Gopalapatnam, he said work has been sanctioned for the third and fourth lines between the 15.31-km stretch in April, 2023 at a cost of Rs 159.47 crore.