VISAKHAPATNAM: Driving down to the scenic Araku Valley from Hyderabad and Vijayawada is soon going to be one beautiful ride meandering through great locales, cascading waterfalls and feeling close to the nature's bounty. Instead of taking the usual route via the port city of Visakhapatnam , the commuters can directly head to Araku from Rajahmundry by crossing the Agency area of Rampachodavaram and the coldest place in AP, Lambasingi.The ride is also going to touch the hilly Chintapalli and the plains of Paderu, heavily in habited by Khond tribals, giving the tourists a native touch.What more, the distance will be reduced by almost 50 km. "The tourists can avoid taking the one-hour flight to Vizag from Hyderabad and also avoid the waiting period at the airport.Further, they will have to motor down another 120 km to Araku which takes close to three hours. Not to forget, the train journey to Araku from Vizag takes four hours," points out a senior R&B official. Instead, they can cruise through the beautiful landscape of Eastern Ghats to reach their weekend getaway at a faster clip, he says.If the officials have their way, the existing narrow stretch of district road network will soon be developed into a national highway -from Rajahmundry to Vizianagaram -through the dense forests of Visakhapatnam Agency. SK Singh, regional officer of the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), Vijayawada, told TOI that the Centre had declared the existing route from Rajahmundry to Araku as NH 516-E. To be developed by the Cent re, the route will pass thro ugh Rampachodavaram, Lambasingi, Chintapalli and Paderu before making a touchdown at Araku. The road will connect Vizianagaram through Srungavarapukota. The road will be 10-metre wide and will have subways and central medians. "A detailed project report will be ready by end of this financial year. The estimated cost is Rs 2,000 crore. The Centre will bear the cost," Singh explained.Speaking to TOI, AP Tou rism Development Corporation (APTDC) executive director R Sreeramulu Naidu said: "The Rajahmundry-Vizianagaram NH will be useful to the tourists as they can skirt Visakhapatnam once the road is made fully operational." Naidu said. Towards making the ride a comfortable one for the tourists, the APTDC is also planning to develop resorts at Lambasingi at a cost of Rs 5 crore. R&B officials said the Centre sanctioned Rs 1,793 crore for construction of eight NHs in phase I.

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