Vizag to get Rs 212 crore under Urban Renewal Mission: MP

Visakhapatnam, May 3 (UNI) Former Chief Minister and Member of Parliament from Visakhapatnam N Janardhana Reddy today said that the city would shortly get around Rs 212 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission Scheme for various developmental works.

Speaking to reporters here, he said Rs 64 crore of Rs 212 crore would be spent on Tatipudi drinking water pipeline scheme, Rs 24 crore on TSR-Yendada-Kommadi water supply scheme, Rs 26 crore for Hanumanthawaka 200 feet road, Rs 31 crore for LG Polymers-Pendurthy road and Rs 29 crore Pineapple colony-vepagunta road scheme.

On the ongoing expansion work of the city airport, Mr Reddy said that in view of increased importance of the city in industrial, educational, tourism and IT fields and in view of increased passenger traffic, Visakhapatnam would see a sharp increase in the number of flights in the next few months with most of the airliners either introducing or expanding their schedules.

The Rs 200 crore-expansion work would result in a new terminal building with facilities like customs, immigration, aerobridges, and large concourse for arrival and departure, baggage belts would be ready by January 2008.

These amenities plus the night landing facility would enable international flights coming to the city, he said. Silk Air, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, had already confirmed its readiness to operate direct flights from Visakhapatnam. Malaysian, Sri Lankan and Thai Airlines were also showing interest in operating their flights to the city, the MP said.

The proposal to set up a specialty cancer hospital in the city with the state and central government funds would become a reality soon. And one of the blocks of the hospital will be named after the senior Congress leader, Dronamraju Satyanarayana, as a tribute to the Congress leader who served the people of north coastal Andhra Pradesh for many years, Mr Reddy added.

UNI RS/BSR JJ 1637