The first international flight from the city to Dubai, scheduled to take off on Sunday evening, has generated a lot of euphoria among people.
A host of events are being organised to mark the launch of the inaugural flight.
Addressing a media conference in this connection on Saturday, Minister for Infrastructure and Investments Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Rajya Sabha Member T. Subbarami Reddy felt that international connectivity would hasten the pace of development of the city.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao said a new tradition had begun in the city with the organisation of ‘Ugadi celebrations' on a single platform on Friday. The celebrations named ‘Visakha Vasantotsavam' would be held for three days every year hereafter.
He said Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ajit Singh would participate in flagging off the inaugural flight.
The Chief Minister would arrive at the airport at 1.30 p.m. and participate in a tree plantation programme initiated by Mr. Subbarami Reddy at the airport at 2 p.m. Later, he and the Union Minister would attend the convention on ‘Connectivity and Tourism' being organised by the Air Travellers' Association of India at Four Points by Sheraton hotel.
They would attend the programme on planting of ornamental plants on various road-dividers as part of the ‘beautification of the city', inaugurate the two-lane carriage way at Asilametta, and participate in the public meeting on the Beach Road.
Carnival
The Chief Minister and the Union Minister would participate in the carnival being organised by the ATA (I) on the Beach Road.
Referring to the efforts being made to project Visakhapatnam as an international destination for tourists, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said the YSR Park (old jail site) would be developed to international standards by the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority and modernisation of VUDA Children's Theatre was being taken up at an estimated cost of Rs.10 crores. Visakhapatnam had already been selected under the JNNURM Plus category, he added.
Mr. Subbarami Reddy said he had initiated the planting of 40 lakh saplings over the next five years at an estimated cost of Rs.600 crore to alleviate the pollution problem in the city.
Mr. Subbarami Reddy spoke of his efforts during the last few years for “putting Visakhapatnam on the international aviation map.”
MLAs – Tynala Vijay Kumar, Malla Vijay Prasad, Panchakarla Ramesh Babu, and Chintalapudi Venkataramaiah, District Collector Lav Agarwal, GVMC Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu, and GVMC Chief Engineer Jayaram Reddy were among those present.
