VIJAYAWADA: The idea of expanding Vijayawada beyond its present boundaries to give it a `truly city look' is slowly gaining ground, thanks to its selection under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
As the Centre has decided to consider urban agglomerations rather than merely cities for funding under JNNURM, officials of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) tailored their City Development Plan (CDP) accordingly before presenting it to the Union Ministry of Urban Development.
In the calculations and projections, the CDP refers to Vijayawada Urban Agglomeration (VUA) rather than just VMC.
VUA purview
The VUA, as defined in the CDP, includes Mangalagiri town and Tadepalli panchayat in Guntur district, and the panchayats of Kanuru, Ramavarappadu, Prasadampadu and Yanamalakuduru, which exist around the city almost forming part of it.
Though projecting VUA, instead of just VMC, became necessary to cross the `one million population' mark as required under JNNURM norms, it is also being seen as a precursor to the idea of having a Greater Vijayawada in place some time in future.
Right time
While JNNURM funds are coming to Hyderabad on the basis of its inclusion in the list of metropolitan cities, Greater Visakhapatnam proposal has been concretised at a right time for Visakhapatnam to receive funds for a larger urban agglomeration.
Greater Vijayawada
Local MP Lagadapati Rajagopal said at `meet-the-press' a few days ago that there is not much of an opposition to the idea of Greater Vijayawada from people of surrounding panchayats.
"They (people of surrounding villages) know very well that if Greater Vijayawada is in place, they can get better facilities and infrastructure. But all this will take time as it needs to be worked out carefully," he remarked.
CPI (M) city leader Ch. Babu Rao says though his party has not taken any stance on merger of surrounding panchayats, the arguments in favour of such a merger appear stronger.
"Vijayawada with just 57 square km of area has a high density of population, which is uncommon for growing cities. Villages such as Gollapudi, Nunna, Ramavarappadu, Yanamalakuduru and Kanuru have almost become part of Vijayawada as can be seen in the large percentage of population living in these villages doing non-agricultural activities," he points out.
With several major projects such as IT Tower, Knowledge Park, Apparel Park and Industrial Park being considered for setting up around Vijayawada, the expansion of the city and giving it a formal shape appears imminent.
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