Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said 45 villages around the city would be merged with the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) in a phased manner but not later than six months. He ordered the officials to hold a meeting with the sarpanches to elicit their opinion to start giving a tangible shape to the proposal at the earliest.
In a review meeting after making a surprise inspection of the civic amenities on Saturday, Mr. Naidu said the State government would introduce a light metro rail in Vijayawada city and expand it into a larger facility.
The Chief Minister’s remarks assume significance against the backdrop of the Central government’s suggestion to construct a light metro instead of the medium metro originally proposed by the State government, riding on the back of certain objections raised by the NITI Aayog and the project getting stuck with the Public Investment Board of the Ministry of Finance.
Driverless buses
The government is keen on bringing electric buses to the city and even driverless buses in the near future, the CM said and directed the officials to take up widening of the Eluru road from Ramavarappadu to Gannavaram in two months.
Inquiring about law and order, Mr. Naidu warned against complacency that would encourage rowdies to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere.
He said the city should be further spruce up in terms of the cleanliness which was not conspicuous at many places and to develop greenery. He ordered that the pot holes should be repaired immediately.
Expressing concern over the dumping of garbage near the VAMBAY Colony, the Chief Minister said more than two metric tonnes of waste was lying nearby causing pollution and suggested to the officials to explore the possibility of converting into energy.
Houses
Mr. Naidu said around 16,000 houses would be constructed in the proposed economic city at Jakkampudi.
Speaking to media persons after inspecting the old Government General Hospital (GGH), the CM said canal bunds in the city would be beautified and necessary steps taken for easing traffic congestion.
In the old GGH, the Chief Minister said, additional blocks would be constructed to increase the bed strength and that the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) terminal at the old RTC bus stand would be shifted within 45 days to the Pandit Nehru Bus Station for providing lung space for the residents.
