In the backdrop of the reports that centre refused to give go ahead on the Vijayawada metro rail because of traffic un-viability, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu asked metro-rail man Sreedharan to complete the first phase of Vijayawada Metro Rail Project by August 2018 and Visakhapatnam by December 2018. Sridharan is advising the state on metro rail projects. Recently, the Centre has reportedly ruled out any financial assistance to the Construction of Vijayawada Metro Rail because of financial un-viability.

According to sources in the government the Centre has made it clear that metro rail in Vijayawada is not viable with the population being less than 20 lakh. It also stated that because of less population , the metro project was liable to run into losses. This forces the people to think that Naidu was giving unnecessary and unrealistic hype to his projects in new capital region to gain political mileage. today’s the meeting between chief minister Naidu and Sridharan took place to allay the misgivings among the publi. The chief minister informed Sridharan that the project could be executed with the support of Japan International Cooperation Agency .

“We should expedite the process of setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) and appoint a permanent officer who will monitor the progress of the project,” Naidu told Sridharan. They have decided to meet on September 9, in Vijayawada.

Naidu shared experience of his Turkey trip. He said the traffic management system in Turkey was efficient. “Their road and rail systems are managed well. This has not only increased the tourist arrivals but also improved the per income ,” the chief minister explained.