IS Visakhapatnam ready to enhance its civic amenities and upgrade its infrastructure to meet the demands of its population, which is expected to grow to 25 lakhs from the present 15 lakhs in the next decade?
Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Commissioner N. Srikant is confident that the civic body can face the challenges ahead.
With the formation of the GVMC, the city is next only to Delhi in terms of area under its jurisdiction. "We have charted development plans for the next 10 years and what is more, we have the time and the resources," Srikant observed. Housing projects are projected to grow rapidly at the rate of 20,000 units a year, with half of them catering to low-income groups and migrants. A major challenge before the corporation is to make this growth sustainable.
The city is expanding at a rapid pace with aggressive promotion of industrial investment. The Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, the Pharma City and the Special Economic Zone are the growth sectors on the industrial front. But with more Information Technology (IT) units setting up shop here and medical facilities and educational institutions coming up, urban transportation would get priority, Srikant said.
In this respect, the GVMC is studying the techno-economic feasibility of a mass rapid transport system. In order to handle road traffic, a two-pronged strategy of upgrading the roads in the old corporation area and expanding those in the areas newly merged with the corporation is under way.
All arterial roads in the city would be of 100-ft width. Under the Comprehensive Road Development Project, the corporation is planning a 6.47 kilometre-long inner ring road at a cost of Rs.24.73 crores, which is cited as a unique experiment that could become a model for other cities.
Utility ducts are being provided along the road for cables and for the first time, even power distribution cables will be laid in the ducts. Other road projects include the development of the 1.35 km-long Jail Road at a cost of Rs.11.44 crores; a 1.28 km tunnel between Narasimhanagar and Mudarsarlova; a flyover near the Road Transport Corporation complex to ease congestion; and 200-ft roads in some parts of the city.
The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission launched by the United Progressive Alliance government in December 2005 has come as a boon for Visakhapatnam. "We have a master plan which requires Rs.13,000 crores in a seven-year period. Apart from projects worth Rs.98.88 crores already sanctioned under the mission, four more road projects requiring a total of Rs.113.39 crores have been technically cleared and are ready for sanction," Srikant said.
With the completion of the Rs.167.5-crore Godavari Drinking Water Supply Project, its water treatment capacity is expected to double. The project is designed to supply 40 million gallons a day (mgd) to the city.
Srikant said a pilot project to provide 24-hour water supply to 363 households in Muralinagar was a success and the use of meters has resulted in a 22 per cent saving in water consumption.
For the first 5,000 kilolitres a sum of Rs.5 is collected, and for every kl consumed thereafter Rs.6 is collected. If a family collects 10 kl a month, it will have to pay only Rs.35, whereas it pays Rs.60 a month for a 45 - minute supply now. "Only 30 per cent of the households have municipal tap connection. Our aim is to provide a tap connection to every household," Srikant said.
In order to control flooding of low-level areas in the rainy season, two projects - Sir Lavender Canal and Yerrugadda - are being planned. The canals would be lined to prevent encroachment and widened to enable desilting operations.
G.V. PRASADA SARMACOMMents
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