Setting bigger goals for future, civic body bids adieu to '25
- Ketan Garg underlines that to drive growth, a host of development initiatives have been taken up across wards
- Says GVMC played a vital role in the successful completion of the CII International Partnership Summit by executing approximately 240 beautification works
- APUIAML will serve as the Independent Engineer and Project Monitoring & Implementation Management consultant
Visakhapatnam: Reflecting on the progress made and goals achieved in 2025 and setting new targets for the year ahead, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner Ketan Garg ascertained that the corporation is committed towards correcting any shortcomings and working collectively for a comprehensive development of Visakhapatnam in 2026.
As the GVMC bids adieu to 2025, Ketan Garg underlined that to drive growth, a host of development initiatives have been taken up across all wards.
As far as development initiatives are concerned, a total of 1,628 works have been undertaken with an estimated budget of Rs.338.92 crore. Of them, 1,303 works worth Rs.221.22 crore have been completed, while the rest are in various stages of progress. “GVMC played a vital role in the successful completion of the CII International Partnership Summit by executing approximately 240 beautification works with an estimated cost of Rs.64.88 crore.
These works included improvement of roads, footpaths, mural arts, painting, greenery, landscaping, traffic islands, junction improvements and water fountains across the city,” the Commissioner explained.
The corporation has proposed development of 88.35-km of roads under the PPP-HAM (public-private partnership – hybrid annuity model) at an estimated cost of Rs.306.95 crore.
This project includes a one-year construction period followed by a decade of operation and maintenance (O&M) period.
APUIAML will serve as the Independent Engineer and Project Monitoring & Implementation Management consultant.
The proposal is currently under process for administrative sanction.
To enhance connectivity to the upcoming Bhogapuram International Airport, four major roads spanning 15.7-km, including Banglemetta to Bheemili and Vepagunta to Juttada, have been proposed with an estimated investment of Rs.71 crore, informed Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao.
In a step to streamline traffic, an AI-based Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) has been introduced as a pilot project to streamline and modernise urban traffic control. 16 Special SHE teams were formed to monitor food hygiene and Single-Use Plastic (SUP) violations. This year, they carried out 1,466 inspections, registered 1,007 cases, and imposed fines totaling Rs.7.07 lakh. Additionally, fines worth Rs.31.83 lakh were collected from shops for using SUP and open littering, Ketan Garg shared.
About Rs.129.25 crore has been allocated for 32 works, including air quality improvement, end-to-end road paving and junction improvements with the support of 15th Finance Commission Grants. Additionally, Rs.222 crore is being utilised for 20 major works involving water supply, sewage recycling and water body rejuvenation. To extend coverage to newly developed areas across various zones, works have been initiated to install 10,545 additional streetlights.
Under the Online Building Permission Management System (OBPMS), 3,373 building applications were approved during 2025–26, generating revenue of Rs.180.83 crore. As part of the Layout Regularization Scheme (LRS), out of 4,573 applications, 2,628 were resolved, while 1,945 are under process, generating revenue of Rs.78.29 crore for GVMC.
GVMC collected approximately Rs.510.32 crore through property tax and vacant land tax in 2024-25. For 2025–26, a target of Rs.600 crore has been set for property tax collection, and from 1 April to 15 December, the corporation collected Rs.357.85 crore.
