The State government issued an order on Monday withdrawing its proposal reducing the width of part of Beach Road from 40 metres to 30 metres.
As per VUDA Master Plan, the road, which has a width ranging from 30 to 35 metres, has to be widened to 40 metres. In the GO Ms. No. 551 issued by the Department of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, the government took notice of the objections received at a public hearing held here sometime ago and shelved the idea of reducing the road width and instead opted for re-classification of the road towards the seaward so as to increase the width of the road to 40 metres in future.
S. Bhujanga Rao of Centre for Sustainable Development said that originally the authorities wanted to reduce the road on the request of a former MP and one of the MLA from the city last year. The proposal was hugely opposed by the public, he stated.
Earlier, a notification was issued calling for objections and suggestions for the modification of the Master Plan reducing the road width from 40 to 30 metres for the stretch from Hotel The Park Junction to Appughar Junction. The government admitted in the GO that it had received several objections and suggestions at the public hearing May 27.
During the discussions between VUDA and GVMC, it was observed that the stretch between the junctions of Hotel The Park and Kurupam Towers is having land covered by VUDA Park and Private lands in Survey Number 125 of Waltair ward, which is classified as CRZ-II towards seaside, by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The Vice-Chairman, VUDA stated that, the stretch between Kurupam towers to Appughar, comprises of vacant lands falling in CRZ-II and also fishermen colony Jalaripeta, where structures would be affected due to the proposed re-alignment. Therefore, keeping in view of the constrains and also in view of the recommendations made during the public meeting, he has proposed to realign the beachfront road in the area under question subject to reclassification of VUDA Park land from CRZ-I to CRZ-II.
