New master plan soon for Visakhapatnam, says minister Narayana

The Andhra Pradesh Urban Development Minister, Narayana, has announced that the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan City Authority will develop a new master plan within the next four months. This decision came during a meeting with officials and local MLAs held at the Secretariat to discuss the future of Visakhapatnam.

Addressing the media afterwards, Minister Narayana revealed that plans are in place to finalise the tenders for the Visakhapatnam Metro Rail project by the end of May. He also mentioned that the Financial City Visakhapatnam Master Plan has been reviewed, and emphasised the importance of incorporating feedback from the public and local leaders in the new master plan.

During the meeting, the issue of irregularities surrounding Transferable Development Rights (TDR) bonds was raised, with over 600 such bonds currently pending in Visakhapatnam. The minister instructed the Visakhapatnam Collector to expedite the clearance of these pending TDR bonds.

Furthermore, Minister Narayana assured that road construction will proceed smoothly to facilitate access to the Bhogapuram Airport. He noted that deviations from the original master plan had occurred during the previous YSRCP regime, underscoring the need for a comprehensive overhaul of planning in the city.