Vizag, the City of Destiny, is known to be laid back, calm and relaxing with its long coastline, local delicacies and much more. With the bifurcation of the Telugu states, there has been a sudden limelight on the city being the Executive Capital of Andhra Pradesh. The coastal city of Vizag has been seeing major development on all fronts, from infrastructure, education, IT etc. Whether or not it becomes the next capital, these allocated infrastructure projects in and around the Vizag are sure to put it on the global map.
Take a look at the various infrastructure projects coming up in Vizag
#1 Bhogapuram Airport
The proposed greenfield international airport in the Vizianagaram District will be constructed at a distance of 40 km from Vizag. The foundation stone for the airport was laid in June 2019, and the land acquisition process for the same has been completed. The new airport will be constructed over approximately 5,300 acres. The new airport will be a gateway to the world for Vizagites and surrounding areas. The current airport will be discontinued for commercial purposes and will be handed over for defence activities. The construction of the airport is expected to be completed by December 2024, and the terminal handling capacity is expected to be 6.3 million passengers per year. This is a major boost for Visakhapatnam and Andhra Pradesh on all fronts, especially tourism.
#2 Redevelopment of Visakhapatnam Railway Station
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently visited the City of Destiny, laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of the railway station along with various other projects. The facelifted railway station is expected to be constructed at the cost of Rs. 450 crores and cater to 75,000 passengers on a daily basis. Modern amenities will be added to improve the passenger experience, according to railway officials. A model of the upcoming station was also launched by the East Coast Railways.
#3 Infosys
The Information Technology giant, recently opened its offices in Vizag, becoming one of the first to kick-start the IT Hub here. The company has rented a four-storey building on the Rushikonda IT SEZ Hill-2 to set up a satellite office. With the increasing number of opportunities, Infosys is likely to set up a permanent office in Visakhapatnam. This has created a new trend of Vizag becoming the new IT hub for Andhra Pradesh, creating several jobs and more businesses for the state.
#4 Amazon
The world’s largest retailer recently announced that it will be setting up a facility with an initial investment of Rs. 55.65 lakhs and 120 jobs here in Vizag in 2023. STPI took to Twitter to make this announcement and said that the projected software export is likely Rs 184.12 crores in the next three years. After Infosys, Amazon is the second major company entering tier II and tier III cities across the state. Currently, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Fluentgrid, Cyient, WNS and other companies have been conducting operations from Visakhapatnam.
#5 Modernisation of Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour
Also launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the modernisation and upgradation of the Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour are expected to be constructed with a cost of Rs. 150 crores. This move will double the handling capacity from 150 tonnes per day to 300 tonnes per day. The new harbour is expected to provide a safe landing and berthing and other modern infrastructure facilities in order to reduce the turnaround time, reduce wastage and help improve price realisation. This new project will further add to the development of the Vizag coastline.
#6 Six-lane Greenfield Raipur-Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor
The new economic corridor will be built with an estimated cost of Rs. 3750 crores. It will provide faster connectivity between the industrial junctions of Chhattisgarh and Odisha to Visakhapatnam Port and the Chennai-Kolkata Highway. The new corridor will also act as a bridge of connectivity to the tribal areas of AP and Odisha.
Also read: Cold temperatures deplete air quality in Vizag, reaches ‘poor’ level
#7 South Coast Railway Zone Headquarters
The railway officials recently announced that the South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) Headquarters will be set up in Visakhapatnam. The new zone will encompass Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and a part of Tamil Nadu. The current Waltair division will also be included in the SCoR Zone. With an estimated cost of 107 crores, the hunt for suitable land is currently underway. According to sources, it is to be believed that Mudasarlova has been chosen as the perfect area to set up the new headquarters. A tender for the construction is yet to be notified by the Railway Ministry.
All the above-stated infrastructure projects for the development of Vizag have been approved by the state and central government. Many more such projects have been proposed on paper and are expected to receive a go-ahead soon.
Stay tuned to Yo! Vizag for more updates.
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