Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation celebrated its Commissioner receiving the Euro India Award even as it resolved to battle the problem of pollution that brought it down to fourth position among the six cities that got the award.
At a meeting on Wednesday, Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu who received the award recently in Leuven in Belgium said the city was experiencing incremental pollution over the last five years. Mr. Ramanjaneyulu expressed the GVMC's resolve to fight the pollution during the next one year disclosing that UNO also selected Visakhapatnam as an environmentally sustainable city along with Ludiahana, Nagpur and Patna and would spare US $ 75,000. Earlier, MLA Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao, deputy mayor K. Dorabbai and corporator G. Gowri expressed serious concern over pollution caused by the Visakhapatnam Port in the One Town area. Several suggestions were made by members of public.
Environmentalist T. Shivaji Rao suggested a separate pollution control authority for the city and its surroundings as the PCB would not take into count the cumulative emissions and their impact while granting permissions.
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Collector Lav Agarwal said all sections in the city should work as a team to realise its potential as the city could be only be compared to Singapore and Hong Kong in its scope for development. Commissioner of Police J. Purnachandra Rao said 90 traffic signals would be set up to streamline traffic soon and said GVMC contribution in the form of pre-cast cement blocks and Rs.20 lakh for traffic control accessories for policemen helped a lot. Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao presided . VUDA Vice-Chairman Kona Sasidhar invited suggestions from public on the revised VMR master plan.