Vizag pioneers urban renewal with authority for slum development

On Wednesday, February 11, GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg made a landmark announcement regarding the amendment of the Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Act, 1979, as he announced that Vizag will soon be getting a dedicated Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). The move is a part of the recently launched Visakhapatnam Economic Region (VER), which aims at broader and comprehensive urban development. A proposal for the redevelopment of two slum areas, Velampeta and Indira Gandhi Nagar, has been submitted by GVMC.

These two areas will be turned into high rise buildings, as the I77 families from Velampeta and 110 families from Indhira Gandhi Nagar have been living under challenging circumstances and facing problems such as inadequate housing, limited living space, lack of basic amenities, poor sanitation and hygiene, lacking basic civil amenities, and higher risk and exposure to health problems and safety risks. The building in Velampeta slum will be a 12-story building, and the one in Indira Gandhi Nagar will be a 6-story building.

Ketan Garg stated that both projects were estimated to cost around Rs 40 crore, which will be funded through a public-private partnership (PPP), ensuring that there’s no financial burden on the state government or the corporation. He further stated that GVMC had studied the SRA models in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru to exercise the same in Vizag.

The beneficiary families will receive the house free of cost, along with Rs 1.5 lakh from the central government and Rs 1 lakh from the state government. The developers will receive transferable development rights (TDR) and floor space index (FSI). Developers can also build extra floors as part of incentives. According to GVMC’s plan, requests for proposals will be presented by next week, and the project is aiming to take off in March.

The Velampeta development project will cost Rs 23.17 crore. The property spans 2,740 square yards, out of which 678 square yards will be allocated to the developer. Each house will be 450 sq ft. During the construction period, which is expected to span 18 months, the beneficiaries will be allocated rent and travel expenses.

Similarly, for the Indira Gandhi Nagar project, which will cost approximately Rs 16.59 crore and is meant for 110 families, the same protocols will be followed.