Upgrades designed to serve city beyond summit

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner Ketan Garg said that the ongoing development and beautification works across Visakhapatnam are being carried out not only for the upcoming 30th CII Partnership Summit but also with a long-term vision to enhance the city’s infrastructure for future programs and events. Mr Garg on Monday conducted a whirlwind inspection of various development works, including the installation of high-intensity light poles along RK Beach, construction of beach sand poles, and the progress of road, footpath, painting, lighting, greenery, and beautification works from Park Hotel and Siripuram Junction up to Andhra University Grounds. He issued several instructions to officials to complete all works by Tuesday (November 11).

Speaking to the media after the inspection, the Commissioner said about 95% of the city’s development and beautification works—initiated by GVMC over the past three months—have already been completed. The GVMC executed construction of 9.5 km of bitumen roads, repairs and repainting of 26 km of footpaths, repairs and repainting of 57 km of medians and curbs, installation and repainting of median grills, creation of mural arts, road lane markings, and bus bay improvements, installation of street lighting and horticultural enhancements such as center medians and greenery development.

The Commissioner said road improvement works have been taken up in 26 stretches under five categories, involving officials from the Public Health, Engineering, and Horticulture Departments, as well as Zonal Commissioners, who have been working tirelessly in preparation for the CII Summit scheduled on November 14 and 15. He emphasised that the beautification works are being implemented to provide lasting benefits to the city beyond the summit. Special attention is being given to Beach Road, which symbolises Visakhapatnam’s identity.

Permanent measures are being adopted to maintain cleanliness and functionality, such as 24x7 beach sand cleaning, prevention of sewage discharge into the sea, underground cabling, laying of new drinking water pipelines, hoardings, upgrading streetlights, and installing digital display screens, development of new junctions and divider arrangements to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

Given the large public footfall on the beach, the GVMC has implemented special operations for daily sweeping and cleanliness using mechanised sweepers. The Commissioner said Visakhapatnam will continue to host major events such as IFR and various conferences, and hence all GVMC works are designed to be sustainable and long-lasting.

Under Operation Lungs, encroachments have been cleared, and dedicated vending zones have been established to support the livelihoods of affected vendors. The Commissioner noted that GVMC is committed to creating a pleasant environment for the many national and international delegates visiting the city for the CII Summit.

He also appealed to business owners to ensure proper waste disposal and refrain from dumping waste on roads. GVMC’s “SHE Teams” have been actively engaged in continuous sanitation monitoring. The Commissioner urged citizens to cooperate by maintaining cleanliness and contributing to the city’s overall sanitation drive.