Vizag to emerge as a metro city with VUDA being renamed to VMRDA

With the council of Andhra Pradesh approving the expansion of VUDA’s purview and renaming it to Visakhapatnam Metro Region Development Authority (VMRDA), the city seems too step a gear up in its process of development.

The VMRDA’s purview would now oversee 6764.59 sq. km (as compared to the previous 5573 sq. km) spread over 50 mandals across the districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and East Godavari. It has also been learned that VMRDA would have Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), Srikakulam Municipal Corporation, Vizianagaram, Amadalavalasa, Yalamanchili and Tuni municipalities and Rajam and Nellimarla Nagara Panchayats in its jurisdiction. VMRDA would now stand as the second largest urban development authority in Andhra Pradesh after CRDA (Capital Region Development Authority). With Visakhapatnam emerging as one of the top grade cities, the officials also expect that the centre would take more steps in facilitating a rapid development here.

While it is yet to be known who would head the authority, it would either be the state’s Chief Minister or a cabinet minister. In addition to forming committees for several issues in the city, the VMRDA is also expected to create more job opportunities in the coming days.

Other key decisions in the cabinet meeting held on Thursday included:

• Allocation of 11.50 acres of land near Parawada to APIIC for the development of an industrial park.
• Allocation of 19.25 acres of land at Mudasarlova for setting up CRPF 66th battalion.
• Allocation of 6.25 acres of land for setting up an industrial park near the Nakkapalli mandal in the Vizag-Chennai industrial corridor.