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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Mayor hails sanitation workers for making Vizag a clean city
Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao on Saturday commended sanitation workers and said that it is their collective effort that won the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) the first position in the special category of 'Safaimitra Surakshit Sheher' at the National level. He was speaking during the 'Swachh Awards' felicitation ceremony organised by the Municipal Corporation at AU Convention Centre on the Beach Road on Saturday (July 26). The Mayor said that the GVMC has about 5,800 sanitation workers, and with development abuzz, more sanitation workers are needed to be recruited. He thanked the sanitation workers, GVMC officials, city residents, and representatives of voluntary organisations for their contribution towards making Vizag a clean city and achieving this award. MP Sribharat emphasised the importance of adopting advanced technology to make city even more beautiful. He said that the corporation has been implementing the 'Swarna Andhra-Swachh Andhra' programme initiated by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu as a movement with public participation. He pointed out that without public awareness, even the best efforts of sanitation workers would be in vain. He also highlighted the Chief Minister's efforts to bring more companies to the city with the goal of developing Visakhapatnam into the economic capital of the State. District Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad stressed on the need for maintaining cleanliness in the city, and said that investors evaluate sanitation, environment, traffic, roads, and water supply before committing investments in the city. GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg shared a personal observation of women sanitation workers cleaning at Nehru Bazaar at midnight, leaving their families behind for the city's cleanliness. Appreciating their services, the Commissioner promised to address issues such as stray dog menace faced by workers immediately. All the representatives along with MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, Deputy Mayor Dalli Govinda Raju, TDP President Gandi Babji, and DCCB Chairman Kona Tatarau felicitated the sanitation workers, secretaries, UGD staff, several NGOs, and sanitary inspectors with Swachh Awards, certificates of appreciation, and mementos. They also visited stalls set up by NGOs promoting the use of eco-friendly products.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Vizag slips from 4th to 9th in Swachh Survekshan ranking
Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam's ranking in the latest Swachh Survekshan 2024 has fallen to 9th place among 40 cities with million-plus population, down from 4th over the past two years. This decline is attributed to factors such as reducesd door-to-door waste collection and a drop in source segregation levels to 81%. Despite the slip, Visakhapatnam maintained a strong overall score of 11,636 out of 12,500. Within the core SS2024 component worth 10,000 marks, the city scored 9,336—placing it 8th among the top 10 cities. In the garbage-free cities (GFC) category, worth 1,300 marks, Visakhapatnam earned 1,100 marks — tying with Pune and Agra but falling 200 marks short of the highest scorers. The city performed exceptionally well in the open defecation-free segment, earning full marks of 1,200, in line with its top-tier peers. Although Visakhapatnam trails Pune by 57 marks and Hyderabad by just 14 in the SS2024 component, its 200-mark shortfall in the GFC category—equivalent to missing 2–3 mid-weight indicators such as stormwater drain cleanliness—highlights specific areas for improvement. This year saw the introduction of new 'Super Swachh League' to recognise cities with consistent top-tier performance. To qualify, cities must have ranked in the top three at least once in the past three years and be among the top 20% of their category in the current year. Four cities have been recognised as Super Swachh League cities. Vijayawada made the cut among these four cities with populations over 10 lakh, while Visakhapatnam would stand at 13th if these league cities were included in the overall rankings. The Swachh Survekshan 2024 (SS2024) toolkit allocates a total of 10,000 marks across ten key performance areas: visible cleanliness (1,500 marks), segregation, collection & transportation (1,000), solid waste management (1,500), access to sanitation (1,000), used water management (1,000), mechanisation of desludging services (500), advocacy for Swachhta (1,500), ecosystem strengthening & institutional capacity (1,000), welfare of sanitation workers (500), and citizen feedback & grievance redressal (500). According to experts, to improve its standing, Visakhapatnam should focus on enhancing door-to-door segregated waste collection to align with higher-scoring peers, expanding solid waste processing capacity, and accelerating landfill remediation. Increasing the fleet and frequency of mechanised desludging services could help secure full 500 marks in that area. To maximise scores in advocacy and feedback, the city should utilise school-based assessments, run awareness campaigns at tourist spots, and strengthen digital citizen engagement platforms. A major highlight for Visakhapatnam was winning Rank 1 in the Safaimitra Surakshit Shehar category. GVMC mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao described it as a proud moment and dedicated the achievement to sanitation workers, citizens, GVMC staff, public representatives, and partner organisations. Commissioner Ketan Garg also expressed pride in the recognition, crediting citizen participation and the dedication of the GVMC workforce.
Hans India
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
GVMC bags first rank in ‘Safai Mitra Surakshit Shehar'
Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) bagged the much-coveted national-level Swachh award under Swachh Survekshan 2024. As part of the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0., GVMC secured the top place in the special category of 'Safai Mitra Surakshit Shehar' for its outstanding commitment to the safety and dignity of sanitation workers. The award was presented by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal to AP Municipal Administration Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar, Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao and GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg at the Swachh Survekshan 2024 awards presentation ceremony held in New Delhi on Thursday. Expressing pride in securing the first position in the 'Safai Mitra Surakshit Shehar' category, Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao termed it as a matter of great honour for the city of Visakhapatnam and GVMC. He attributed credit to the safai workers, citizens, public representatives, corporators, Swachh Visakha ambassadors, residents' welfare associations, NGOs, and corporation officials and staff who contributed to the achievement. He congratulated GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg and called for his continued efforts to make Visakhapatnam the cleanest city in the ensuing 'Swachh Survekshan 2025' as well. GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg said Visakhapatnam has consistently maintained its image as one of the cleanest cities in the country, and this award is a result of citizen participation, efforts of the municipal workforce, and support from public representatives.
Hans India
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
An action plan on anvil to transform Gajuwaka segment
Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao stated that a special action plan is getting ready to develop Gajuwaka as an important industrial hub. On Sunday, he, along with Gajuwaka MLA and state TDP president Palla Srinivasa Rao, ward corporators Boddu Narasimha Patrudu, Rajana Ramarao, Lella Koteshwar Rao, and TDP deputy floor leader Gandham Srinivasa Rao, laid foundation stones for several development works under zone VI, covering 65, 71, and 86 wards. Speaking on the occasion, the Mayor said that continuous efforts are being made for the development of Gajuwaka. He reiterated that under the leadership of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the coalition government is consistently implementing various development and welfare programmes that aim at the holistic growth of the state. He informed that works worth approximately Rs 5.55 crore have been initiated under GVMC funds for construction of VRCC drains, retaining walls, and drinking water pipelines at multiple locations such as Priyadarshini Colony, Visakha Nagar Sanjeevayya Giri Colony, and Ashok Nagar. Similarly, in ward 71, drinking water pipelines were being laid at a cost of about Rs 49.6 lakh. In ward 86, foundation stones were laid for CC roads, RCC drains, CC culverts, and VRCC box culverts at various locations at an estimated cost of Rs 1.54 crore. The Gajuwaka MLA said that efforts are being made to ensure that Gajuwaka constituency stands first in the state in terms of development. He mentioned that a special action plan is being executed to systematically develop every ward in Gajuwaka. He added that the Chief Minister is continuously working with the sole objective of state development. The programme was attended by GVMC VI zonal commissioner BRS Seshadri, executive engineer MRS Prasad, assistant engineer Kedar Nath, among others.
Hans India
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
A host of amenities provided at 88th ward
Visakhapatnam: Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao mentioned that the coalition government will work towards development of the city. On Friday, along with Pendurthi MLA Panchakarla Ramesh Babu and ward corporator M Mutyala Naidu, he laid foundation stone for various development projects worth Rs 3.13 crore in 88th ward. Speaking on the occasion, the Mayor said that the NDA government led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will develop State on all fronts in a consistent manner. He said that Visakhapatnam is a very attractive city and there is a need to develop the city to draw more number of tourists. Srinivasa Rao stated that that as part of facilitating infrastructure for the people, CC roads, CC canals, CC culverts, box culverts are being constructed in Bangarupeta, Indira Nagar, Mutyamamba colony, Kothur, Nagaraju Thota, Kunchuvanipalem, Gangavaram and other areas in the ward. The Mayor instructed the GVMC engineering officials to commence works at the earliest and complete them within the stipulated time. Speaking on the occasion, MLA Panchakarla Ramesh Babu said that the coalition government is providing welfare schemes and focusing on various development programmes across the state. GVMC 6th zone commissioner BRS Seshadri, executive engineer MRS Prasad, assistantengineer Kedarnath, TDP and Jana Sena party leaders and GVMC staff participated in the programme.
