VISAKHAPATNAM: A consultant will be appointed to suggest measures for comprehensive development of the city with international standards, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has said here.

Addressing a public meeting after laying foundation for the Rs.120-crore Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences in the old Dairy Farm area on Monday, he announced a string of measures addressing concerns of various sections and the appointment of a consultant, following a suggestion by former Chief Minister and MP N. Janardhan Reddy. The consultant would advise on the nature of development, location of residential and industrial areas, Information technology and education institutions etc. The growth in the next five years would be equivalent to that achieved during the last five, six decades, he predicted.

Describing taking up of 1100-bed VIMS on 100 acres of site as a red letter day in the history of the city, he said tenders would be finalized in the next two months and with the completion scheduled in 16 months, the super specialty hospital, modelled on NIMS, would be ready by mid-2008. While Rs.80 crores would be spent on the building the remaining is meant for equipment. Specialty medical care would be available to the poor at affordable cost once the institute was completed, he assured the gathering.

Obliquely referring to the CPI(M) agitation stating that some political parties were demanding house-sites, Dr.Rajasekhar Reddy asserted, "In three years we will provide not house-sites but houses to all the poor. While 59,000 houses are under construction another 60,000 would be taken up in the next two years."

Describing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a renowned economist who knew how to get money and to properly spend it in the backdrop of sanction of funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, he said projects in roads, infrastructure and housing worth Rs.1,000 crores were proposed and ongoing work on roads and buildings accounted for Rs.250 crores.

R-Cards

The poor would also be given tap connections at a concessional rate of Rs.1,200 and up to a certain quantity water would be given free and supplied 24 hours. He also announced that around 3,000 displaced families left out of the rehabilitation plans in the setting up of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant would be given Rehabilitation cards (R-Cards) so that at least the next generation would get jobs in the expansion. Besides, land issue at Gajuwaka would be resolved following the recommendations of the House Committee and steps would be taken to overcome legal hurdles in distribution of Simhachalam devasthanam land to the poor. The announcements assume significance as elections to the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation are round the corner.

The Chief Minister described the expansion of the steel plant and the HPCL doubling their capacity, the coming up of Gangavaram port, Brandix's plans providing jobs to 20,000 to 40,000 people as new avenues for employment.

Former Chief Minister and Visakhapatnam MP N.Janardhan Reddy said the plan for revival of the public sector BHPV was before the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Commercial Taxes Minister Konathala Ramakrishna, R&B and Marketing Ministers J.Ramamohana Rao and Botcha Satyanarayana and APHMHIDC Chairman G. Rudraraju and several MLAs participated. Pendurthy MLA Gurumurthy Reddy presided.

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