Vijayawada: The Vijayawada Metro Rail project has got only Rs 106 crore funds, a meagre allocation even while the state government wants to complete it by 2018.
As per the project plans, the Centre should extend Rs 1,200 crore, as part of its share while Rs 6,000 crore is needed to complete it.
The AP government prepared plans to get at least 20 per cent of funds from the Centre and 60 per cent from Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA).
Now, the project may be delayed due to the poor allocation of funds by the Centre. JICA asked the state government to give it 16 months to approve the project.
According to the officials, Rs 850 crore is required for land acquisition and evacuation under rehabilitation and relief works, before launching the project. The state government has opened a separate office for supervision of metro rail works and also decided to set up a special corporation dedicated to the project.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has prepared the DPRs for the project. Several foreign companies are inspecting the project.
Against this backdrop, the state government and metro rail corporation have been drawing plans to extend the project up to Gannavaram airport from Ramavarapadu and from Pundit Nehru Bus Station to Amaravati capital in another direction.
The present allocations are meagre and the project may get delayed. The government may not focus on further expansion plans, said one official.
However, Metro Rail Corporation managing director G. Ramakrishna Reddy expressed satisfaction over the allocation of funds in the Budget.
