The four-decade-old Visalakshinagar Colony, which is in close proximity to the sea shore, has a natural scenic beauty with hills and valleys and hill top dwellings and organised housing layouts. The Armed Reserve Police Battalion with training facilities and a residential colony of police personnel with about 200 living quarters was the oldest establishment.
Police personnel in groups sipping tea and eating snacks and integrating with the local people are a common sight in the locality.
The presence of police personnel is everywhere at roadside hotels, snacks and eatery points and at street corners exchanging pleasantries with the local people who appear to be very friendly with them. The marching sounds of policemen, shouts of ‘Attention’ and ‘Stand at ease’ and drum beats of police band are a sort of entertainment to the local people.
The first established residential layout was the Revenue Housing Colony which came into being in the 1970s. Subsequently, several satellite residential colonies formed part of the grand old Visalakshinagar.
For more than two decades the colony resembled an under-developed village sans basic amenities. Authorities started focussing on the colony since 1990 by developing infrastructure and several private layouts came up by 2000 and land there since then became a precious commodity.
Most of the senior residents of the Revenue Colony watched the area grow and develop into a sophisticated affluent township.
The hilltop township is a mixture of the economically weaker sections and the lower middle class.
The residents in the valley mostly hailed from the affluent sections and therefore maintained the independent character of their dwellings. Despite the onset of apartment culture and group housing in city most of the residents in the colony boast of preserving independent houses culture.
The sea facing Jodugullapalem comprising fishermen community was the first residential area of Visalakshinagar. Then came the Armed Reserve Police Personnel colony and subsequently revenue colony and over a period of time the tribal colony, Arundatti Colony, Dayalnagar and Sanjeevaiah Colony became part and parcel of the Greater Visalakshinagar, which has a total population of about 10,000.
Local residents have some good words to say about former Deputy Mayor Dora Babu.
They said Mr. Dora Babu was instrumental in conversion of kutcha roads into metal roads. By and large the roads are fairly good on the main thoroughfares of the township as well as in the lanes and bylanes.
People here enjoy GVMC round-the-clock water supply.
Many proud owners of houses purchased plots at a throwaway price of Rs. 20 per square yard three decades ago. Today it is around Rs. 40,000 per square yard. The colony also has public parks with a lot of greenery.
A serene atmosphere pervades the entire Visalakshinagar with lush green shade giving and coconut plantations.
The climate is pleasant being closer to the Bay of Bengal.
Security wise there are hardly any complaints of house burglaries or thefts with an array of armed reserve battalion watching over the people.
