Visakhapatnam: Come next year tourist season, the city of destiny will have India’s tallest tower perched on picturesque Kailasagiri Hill in the city. It will become a landmark structure for the city, drawing a lot of tourists round the year.
The sky tower, as it is called today, will be one of among the few such structures in the world. The tower, a huge observation centre with a lifting and rotating circular passenger cabin carrying 80 passengers, gives a 360 degree view of the entire city and the ocean.
The passengers will be seated at the circumference and with an outward-facing seat row to enable a spectacular panoramic outside view. It is a true world-class tourism attraction suitable to all age groups, said the project proponent, Vinay Reddy, from Hyderabad.
Vinay Reddy of Swarnamukhi Agency signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government during the partnership held in 2017 for this project. Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (VMRDA) floated a notice inviting some more agencies to take up the project. None responded and VMRDA shelved the project.
Vinay Reddy then sent a proposal to the state government to revive the project last December and the Cabinet approved it on May 4 this year along with other tourism projects.
The proposed sky tower is 120 meters tall sitting on 300-foot high Kailasagiri Hills. At night, it will be illuminated and can be seen from all the corners of the city. The ride will give an unsurpassed experience to passengers with the sensation of being on a flying balcony in the sky. The cabin is fully air-conditioned and comes with high-end finished seats automatic doors, illumination, automatic sound-system, distortion-free laminated safety glass with UV-filter all around for a panoramic view.
With a travelling speed of 1.5 metres/sec and a revolution speed of 0.5 metres/sec, the sky tower will have an hourly capacity of 1600 passengers. “We will initially carry only 400 passengers and add more at a later stage,’’ Vinay Reddy said. He said the typhoon tower is being designed for the harsh environment in Visakhapatnam with strong winds, which calls for special design of the equipment and will be certified by appropriate agencies. Intamin Worldwide from Switzerland will supply, install and maintain this safe and unique tower, he added.
