Visakhapatnam, Mar 14 (TNT): Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P. Narayana on Saturday inspected the VMRDA Master Plan roads connecting the upcoming Bhogapuram Airport and said the works would be largely completed by the time the airport becomes operational.
Accompanied by Bheemili MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao, VMRDA Chairman Pranav Gopal, GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg, and senior officials, Narayana reviewed the progress of road works on the stretches from Nerella Valasa to Kothavalasa, Boyapalem to Kapuluppada, and Bheemili to Dorathota Junction.
Officials informed the Minister that around 54 per cent of the road works have been completed.
The works are being carried out jointly by the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA), the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department, and the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) to strengthen connectivity between Visakhapatnam city and the upcoming airport.
Earlier, following a suggestion from MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao, the Minister visited the ASR Nagar slum area in Seethammadhara and interacted with residents to understand their issues and basic needs.
Residents told the Minister that around 200 families have been living on nearly 3.2 acres of land for about 30 years, mostly working as daily wage labourers.
They said they do not have house ownership documents and requested the government to provide them with permanent housing.
Responding to their concerns, Narayana said the government would modernise the ASR Nagar slum area and take steps to resolve the land ownership issue.
He noted that some private individuals have been claiming ownership of the land and allegedly threatening the residents.
The Minister directed the GVMC Commissioner to prepare proposals for constructing houses for the residents in the same area under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
He also instructed officials to verify the documents of those claiming ownership of the land and initiate discussions with the landowners to find a solution that would not cause inconvenience to either the residents or the private parties.
Among those present during the visit were GVMC Chief Engineer P.V. Satyanarayana Raju, Chief City Planner A. Prabhakar Rao, VMRDA Chief Engineer Vinay Kumar, and other officials.
TNT KM
Leave a Reply