P Raja Babu to replace G Lakshmisha as the GVMC Commissioner

The Andhra Pradesh State Government has appointed P Raja Babu of the 2013 IAS batch as the new commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC). In an announcement on Monday, the state government announced that he will replace G Lakshmisha IAS, who served as the GVMC Commissioner since 30 October 2021.

Also read: Single-use plastic ban marks 100 days in Visakhapatnam

With a stint that spanned less than a year, G Lakshmisha became the shortest-serving commissioner of the Visakhapatnam civic body. During his 11-month tenure, he headed the initiative of the single-use plastic ban in the city, which was enforced on 5 June 2022. He also put forward the ‘Coffee with Corporator’ programme through which he frequently kept track of the work being done by the ward corporators in Vizag. Under his aegis, the corporators recently visited Himachal Pradesh on a study tour to understand the working of the civic bodies there.

Lakshmisha played a key role in forming a collaboration with Parley for the Oceans, an international NGO, to formulate an effective plan to make Vizag plastic-free. Recently, the GVMC with Parley for the Oceans conducted the world’s largest beach clean-up drive and collected 76 tonnes of plastic.

The to-be ex-GVMC Commissioner will take charge as the Special Officer, MIG Project, and Managing Director for the Andhra Pradesh Urban Finance and Development Corporation (APUFDC).

Stay tuned to Yo! Vizag website and Instagram for more city updates.