The second largest city in combined Andhra Pradesh and the first in residual state of Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam, has tremendous prospects for further growth. It deserves to be the capital of Seemandhra and headquarters of the proposed new railway zone, says NRI Chandrasekhar Buddha, who developed vision document for Seemandhra.
The third largest city on the east coast of India after Chennai and Kolkata, Vizag has been recognised as a global city of the future by the McKinsey Quarterly. It is only city in Seemandhra having an international airport with daily flights to Dubai via Hyderabad and direct flights to Singapore four times a week, a major seaport, a major highway, which is part of the Golden Quadrilateral system of Indian highways, connecting Chennai and Kolkata and is headquarters of the Waltair Division of East Coast Railway, which is the highest revenue earning division in entire ECoR, Mr. Chandrasekhar told a media conference here on Friday.
AdvantageVizag has a natural harbour and this advantage can be used to develop it on the lines of New York and San Francisco. He briefed on the plans to take the GDP of Vizag from the present 35 billion to 350 billion by bringing in more software and ITES companies, promotion of industries in the PCPIR zone, introduction of super fast trains and providing simple solutions like drawing drinking water from moisture to overcome water problem.
When his attention was drawn to vested political interests staking a claim for making Vijayawada as the headquarters of the proposed new railway zone, Mr. Chandrasekhar said Vizag with an annual revenue of Rs.5,600 crore was earning Rs.2,600 crore more than that of Vijayawada Division and has every right to get the headquarters of the zone.
S.S. Shiva Shankar of Vizag Citizens Forum said the Vizag 2020 Development Plan would be released at a meeting to be held at the Visakhapatnam Public Library on Saturday.
