Naidu reviews Vizag economic region plan

Visakhapatnam: Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the proposed Visakhapatnam Economic Region (VER) from Amaravati on Monday. The VER is being planned with Visakhapatnam as its hub, based on proposals from NITI Aayog and the recommendations of the state govt.VMRDA metropolitan commissioner N Tej Bharat participated in the review meeting virtually. During the meeting, officials explained the phased proposals for promoting economic development across the nine districts that will form part of the VER. They outlined key proposals across various sectors expected to drive industrial, commercial and tourism development, along with the opportunities and benefits they would generate.The proposals for the ‘City Economic Region’ under the VER were also presented. Officials highlighted the proposed Bay City project, which aims to develop a 25-km coastal stretch from Kailasagiri to Bheemunipatnam over an area of about 40 sq km. They said the project would serve as a major growth engine for the VER and help transform Visakhapatnam into a world-class coastal city.The chief minister was also briefed on proposals to establish dedicated tourism special economic zones and improve road connectivity to land earmarked for the development of various sectors. Former IAS officer S Kishore, additional commissioner Datla Keerthi, OSD Krishna Naik, secretary Murali Krishna, chief planning officer Divya Latha, chief engineer Vinay Kumar, chief statistical officer Hari Prasad, and other officials participated in the review meeting.