Simhachalam temple town in Visakhapatnam to undergo an infrastructure overhaul under Centre’s PRASHAD scheme

PM Modi launches PRASHAD works at Simhachalam temple and Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme at Borra Caves virtually from Srinagar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched various works being taken up under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) at Sri Varaha Laksmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Simhachalam and under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme at Borra Caves, by pressing a button virtually from Srinagar, on Thursday.

Bheemunipatnam MLA Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Chairman A. Varaprasad Reddy, officials of the Tourism Department and Simhachalam temple participated in the programme at Simhachalam.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has sanctioned the work ‘Development of Pilgrimage Amenities at Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swami Vari Devasthanam’ at Simhachalam, in Visakhapatnam, at an estimated cost of ₹54 crore. The work comprises the following three major categories: Providing infrastructure facilities at the foothills; providing infrastructure facilities on the hilltop and pan-area development.

Infrastructure facilities to be developed at the foothills include pilgrimage facilitation halls at Old Choultry in two floors; an entrance foyer/ basic amenities building at the new ghat road entrance; bus shelter with four bus bays, food courts, shops; bus parking, four and two-wheeler parking, cement and bituminous roads and landscaping at the new ghat road entrance.

The other amenities to be developed include: upgrading the 1,200 steps-old entrance to the hilltop; drinking water points/water ATMs, dust bins in the pathway (steps area) to the hilltop; provision of shelter along the pathway, providing infrastructure facilities atop the hill; construction of queue-complex/darshan waiting hall, construction of multipurpose hall for pilgrims/religious functions, multi-level shopping complex, tourist info centre along with food court and construction of a 500-seating capacity amphitheatre.

The upgrading of the steps, construction of pilgrimage function hall, the queue complex/darshan waiting hall and multipurpose hall and multilevel shopping complex are in progress, according to the officials.

The Prime Minister also virtually launched the project for ‘Enhancement of Borra Cave Precinct Area in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district’ at an estimated cost of ₹29 crore. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has selected Lambasingi as one of the two destinations in Andhra Pradesh for development under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme.