Visakhapatnam: Nearly 5,000 personnel of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) began a two-day survey of 793 slums within the corporation limits on Sunday.
“We have launched the survey on Sunday since most people stay at home on the day. We are collecting every detail of slum dwellers, their requirements, infrastructure facilities, health, and employment status of eligible youngsters from every slum,” GVMC commissioner G. Srijana said.
She visited Vinayakanagar, Ambedkar Colony and other areas in 24th and 34th wards in zones three and four of the corporation to check progress of the survey.
Prior to 2005, there had been 450 slums in the Port City. With merger of Bheemili, Gajuwaka and Anakapalli into Visakhapatnam, their number has reached 793.
“Slums had been completely neglected as there was no elected body for the corporation in the last decade. Now, the state government and council have decided to improve slums with provision of all basic facilities. We will make Vizag a slum-free city soon,” GVMC mayor G. H. Venkata Kumari told Deccan Chronicle.
Sources within the corporation disclosed that there are 426 notified slums and 367 non-notified ones in the Greater Visakhapatnam area. It is estimated that there are up to 20,000 households and a population of up to one lakh living in them.
“Slum dwellers occupy both private and government lands. We can have a clear picture only after completing the survey. We are conducting this survey in a transparent manner,” the mayor pointed out.
Urban Community Development (UCD) wing of GVMC is nodal agency for the survey. Teams comprising five members each are visiting every slum, UCD project director Y. Srinivasa Rao stated.
“We will prepare a detailed report on the slums based on survey inputs and place it before Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy,” mayor Venkata Kumari added.
