Minister for Infrastructure and Ports Ganta Srinivasa Rao has called upon people’s representatives, leaders of political parties and those concerned with the city development to set aside politics until the election season for evolving a strategy and a manifesto for the development of the City of Destiny.
Participating in the seminar on city development organized by the Vizag Journalists Forum (VJF) here on Monday, he revealed that a meeting for formulation of a city development programme would be organised soon involving all stakeholders. The Minister said that the city needed a convention centre and a stadium on the lines of Gachibowli stadium in Hyderabad. The city should be transformed into a slum-free city. He complimented the VJF for bringing all the men who matter to the round table on city development and hoped that every one would come up with constructive suggestions keeping the interests of people in mind.
CPI(M) district secretary Ch. Narsinga Rao spoke on imbalances in development on literacy, employment opportunities and on the drinking water front.
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The scenario was different in the city, rural and tribal areas. He observed that during the past two decades not one MGD of water had been added to the present water resources. He described as colossal waste the GVMC’s efforts to lay a separate pipeline spending something like Rs.1900 crore from Yeleru canal to the city. Instead the semi-completed Yeleru left canal should be completed by spending another Rs.200 crore. He appealed to the District Collector to develop the Ravula Cheruvu near Kurmanapalem for supplying water to 1 lakh population in the area. While supporting industrialisation he said that the interests of the fishermen and the tribal community should not be ignored where ever projects are executed.
CPI leader J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy focussed on housing problem in the city and its suburbs.
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The city according to a recent survey has 1.36 lakh homeless people. The housing problem should be addressed. Coal pollution is making countless lives miserable and many have developed respiratory diseases.
Former minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy said that the city lacked a planned development. The Collectorate should be shifted from its present location and a decent building should be constructed. A circular train touching all the suburbs of the city should be introduced. The VUDA should include it in the master plan. A fly-over from Satyam centre to the airport should be undertaken apart from laying underground power cables and building of satellite townships with all amenities. A high level committee under the chairmanship of district collector should be formed to tackle environmental pollution and the industries that are responsible for the same.
Earlier VJF president Gantla Sreenu Babu welcoming the gathering said that the VJF had on its own taken up the demands of the local people with the Railway Minister regarding diversion of trains from Duvvada to the city and other issues relating to the city. District Collector V. Seshadri, GVMC commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana, VUDA vice-chairman K. Sashidhar and APEPDCL CMD Nadeem and MLA’s Dronamraju Srinivas and T. Vijaya Kumar were among those present.