Visakhapatnam to get 102-km semi ring road on Hyderabad model

Visakhapatnam: In a major infrastructure push for the port city, Municipal Administration Minister Ponguru Narayana has announced that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has proposed a semi ring road for Visakhapatnam modeled on Hyderabad's Outer Ring Road. The proposed 102-kilometre stretch will run from Rambilli to Bhogapuram and is aimed at easing traffic congestion, improving connectivity to the upcoming Bhogapuram International Airport, and spurring economic growth in the region. Officials have been directed to expedite work, and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the semi ring road is expected to be ready by the end of this month.

Alongside the ring road, the government has also proposed a dedicated beach corridor to connect Bhogapuram Airport with the coastline. The corridor is expected to boost tourism and provide seamless access for travelers heading to beachfront destinations in and around Visakhapatnam.

Minister Narayana made these announcements after chairing a review meeting on the VMRDA Master Plan at the VMRDA office in Visakhapatnam. He emphasized that a comprehensive master plan is critical for planned urban growth and to prevent haphazard development as the city expands. Public representatives and senior officials participated in the meeting, where several aspects of the master plan were discussed in detail.

Providing an update on the master plan, the minister said that the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) covers 6,836 square kilometres. Of this, the master plan for 4,387.36 square kilometres has already been completed. Work on the remaining area is underway and will be finished by October this year.

The minister acknowledged that the master plan drafted in 2021 faced significant pushback. Public representatives had urged Chief Minister Naidu to revisit the plan due to widespread concerns. The draft initially attracted 3,720 objections, and another 1,236 objections were filed in the second round of public consultations. Following detailed deliberations, Narayana said that over 90 percent of the petitions submitted by MLAs have now been resolved.

To ensure inclusivity, the government will hold discussions with MLAs who were unable to attend Friday's review meeting before finalizing and announcing the master plan.

On other civic issues, the minister stated that Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) are being established in all municipalities across Andhra Pradesh to improve sanitation and water management. He also clarified that the state government will continue with the existing property tax system, and there will be no change to the old method of collection.

The semi ring road and beach corridor projects are expected to complement the Bhogapuram Airport development and strengthen Visakhapatnam's position as a key economic and tourism hub on the east coast.