Visakhapatnam: The long-awaited pending works at five km-long Vizag-Bheemili Beach Road will begin shortly. It was proposed to construct 26-km long Vizag-Bheemili Marine Drive Road from Tenneti Park in the city to Bheemili as a tourist attraction. During his tenure as the Union tourism minister, Chiranjeevi had granted funds for the road project. After a series of issues, a 20-km-long four-lane road was completed by Roads and Buildings Department in a phased manner.
However, due to shortage of funds and some officials concerned, who were involved in various ACB cases, and contractors, about five-km-long last-end connecting road to Bheemili was not completed for the past several years.
In 1997, former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed the officials concerned to cut a hill (presently Tenneti Park) and to lay the Vizag-Bheemili Beach Road in the name of the Marine Drive.
Later, several educational institutions, IT-SEZ, Star Hotels, AP Tourism Resorts etc. developed on either side of the road. For past two decades, the works have been continuing, but not completed so far, particularly from Kapuluppada to Bheemili.
Current Bheemili MLA and AP tourism minister M. Srinivasa Rao has directed the officials concerned to clear all issues and to call for fresh tenders to complete the pending five-km-long road to give a full shape Marine Drive from Vizag to Bheemili.
“In fact, Vizag-Bheemili Beach Road is 24-km only. Due to the difficulties in land acquisition, with houses on either side of the road, additional two-km-long road has been added in the pending road works in the revised plan. The minister is very keen to complete the Vizag-Bheemili Beach Road. The Department will call for fresh tenders to complete the works,” one of the Divisional Engineers of Roads and Buildings Department said.
According to the estimates, the pending five-km-long road would be laid at a cost of Rs 33 crore, the DE added.
