Amid the opposition from various quarters to the integrated naval museum and underground parking projects proposed on the Beach Road, Visakhapatnam Apartment Residents’ Welfare Association (VARWA) and NIVAS, which represents the residents’ welfare associations and individual houses, have demanded that the government must shelve the move of allowing more projects on the RK Beach stretch.
“It was loud and clear during the recent interaction with the stakeholders organised by Visakhaptanam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) on the proposals of integrated naval museum and underground parking that people did not want congestion of Beach Road in the name of development. The public opinion was unanimous. Apart from beach road residents, others from MVP Colony and other areas also had voiced their opposition to the projects,” VARWA general secretary B.B. Ganesh told the media here on Monday.
The underground parking was mooted in view of the expected 70,000 visitors to the proposed LuLu Mall and hotel, he alleged.
Traffic woes
“One acre from the land allotted to the LuLu Group should be used to construct a multi-level parking facility, which would offer a permanent solution of the never-ending traffic woes on the Beach Road,” VARWA president Prakasa Rao said.
With several beautification measures after the Hudhud cyclone, he said, the beach was looking good and any proposal to remove the protective wall might backfire with undesirable consequences.
“We fear that further development of Ramakrishna Beach and the museum will reduce the free access to the beach as entry tickets might be introduced in the future,” he said, adding that the government rather plan development in other stretches of the 40-km-long Beach Road.
Survey
Finding fault with the survey conducted on the development and narrating the plight of Beach Road apartment dwellers about turning the place as a venue to all sorts of events, Pandurangapyram Residents’ Welfare Assocation joint secrtary M. Ravindra said an online campaign was being conducted opposing the proposals.
NIVAS president Pitta Narayana Murthy said digging up the road for underground parking might result in further erosion of the beach. VARWA vice-president G. Vijay Kumar was also present on the occasion.
