After working in the same organisation for almost 35 years, they continued to stay together engaging in a bunch of common hobbies and leisure activities post their retirement as well.
Dharma Sakthi Nagar, located at MVP Colony Sector III, is a place where former employees of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust have been leading a cosy life for quite a long time.
Well, a cosy environ
The neighbourhood, comprising over 230 plots (divided into MIG I and II), has abundant greenery, a good number of palatial houses and a temple, a community hall and a well-maintained park under the banner of Dharma Sakthi Shiridi Sai Seva Trust. Sri Shiridi Sai Park, developed and maintained jointly by the GVMC and the Colony Residents Youth Welfare Association, is all set to launch an in-house reading room for the residents soon.
Though the foundation stone of the colony was laid in 1983, Dharma Sakthi Nagar saw some signs of progress after almost a decade. Colony people say that the late union leader of Hindustan Mazdoor Sangh of the VPT B. Dharma Rao initiated the Class III and IV Employees Cooperative House Building Society Limited and was instrumental in allotting the plots to its members. “With hardly a few houses existing then, we used to wake up to the sighting of a beautiful sea view earlier. Convenience and easy accessibility to rythu bazaar, hospitals, schools and colleges are main reasons that drew people to the colony,” says Venkata Rao, a senior citizen.
Unsettling issues
Though a number of residents had set out for better opportunities, a major portion of the former employees of VPT continue to lead a life they always dreamt of. “With the recently-developed VUDA’s Health Arena located close to our neighbourhood, most of us walk down to meditate and do some yoga asanas there in the morning. Later, our day continues with combined activities like organising devotional programmes in the temple and meeting at the community hall,” says M. Sai Kumar, a member of the trust.
With a number of group houses and apartments being let out for hostels, residents say that the otherwise decent setting of the colony lends an obscene look as some of the hostellers are misusing the facility. Clogged stormwater drain that flows from Hanumantawaka, improper maintenance of underground drainage system and supply of contaminated drinking water form a part of the unsettling issues .
Zone II Commissioner P. Nallanayya; Helpdesk No: 0891-2746314; 9912349486
