Visakhapatnam Collector plans to develop roads in the agency area

“All roads in the Vizag Agency will be further developed by laying new roads,” said Visakhapatnam District Collector, Dr. A Mallikarjuna IAS. On Monday, he discussed the development works to be taken up in the agency area. This news comes after Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced on Thursday that parts of NH-516E will be developed as Green Highways. 

The officials, concerned with the development of roads in the agency area, have been instructed to do mapping for road development, thereby making a survey on villages which require roads and those areas with roads under bad condition. The Collector promised to not just lay roads but also provide basic transport facilities from the villages to the city. Preparing a detailed project report, the Collector aims to complete the project in the next 3-4 years under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). 

The Visakhapatnam Collector observed that the Vizag Agency is reporting a higher number of mother-child deaths in the last few years. One of the main reasons is the lack of proper road connectivity from interior villages to hospitals and primary health care centres. “Due to the lack of timely treatment being provided to pregnant women, there have been a high number of cases of mother/child deaths. So, we are focusing on adding more feeder ambulances in the agency area,” said the Collector. 

Currently, the Visakhapatnam agency has a feeder ambulance that carries the patients to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) or uptil the regular ambulance. These ambulances are for the interior tribal villages in the Vizag Agency where there has been no proper road facility and mostly muddy roads. The Collector promised to provide better medical facilities at Paderu Hospital, by appointing sufficient medical staff and doctors.  

In a week, a meeting will be held with the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) officials on making a list of development works to be taken up immediately. He also advised people to adopt some of the tribal villages under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). 

Later, talking about the number of Covid-19 cases reported and precautions to be taken, the Visakhapatnam Collector said that the district has been taking strict measures to curb the spread, especially in tourist places and at RK Beach Road.