Vishakhapatnam gets ₹1,400-cr infrastructure boost

To become the executive capital of Andhra Pradesh, Vizag city has secured a major revamp with the 15th Finance Commission recommending ₹1,400 crore allocations for the development of core infrastructure in the city. The AP Government had requested the Commission for grants to help the state build Vishakhapatnam as a major economic hub that would serve as an important source of revenue. The grants would be utilized for provisioning of core infrastructure such as roads, water supply, power distribution, underground drainage and essential buildings in Vishakhapatnam.

In recent years, the state government and local authorities have lined up or proposed several projects for Vizag city including the metro rail project, Bhogapuram airport, the six-lane coastal road to Bhogapuram, underground drainage revamp, water supply projects, beach road development, industrial corridors, IT development and other infrastructure projects. For example, the metro rail project is alone estimated to cost about ₹22,000 crore while the six-lane coastal highway to Bhogapuram will cost about ₹1,500 crore. Meanwhile, the Finance Commission has also recommended funding worth ₹900 crore for safe drinking water supply in areas affected by chronic kidney disease.