The Hindu 26.06.2013
CM okays merger of Anakapalle and Bhimili with GVMC
Ganta says Vizag will become eligible to get more funds after the merger.
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday gave his approval for the merger of Anakapalle and Bhimunipatnam municipalities and 10 other villages with GVMC.
Confirming this to The Hindu , Minister for Infrastructure and Investment Ganta Srinivasa Rao who pitched for the merger in spite of stiff opposition from his party leaders, said the Chief Minister had signed the file and the GO relating to the merger would be issued soon.
Apart from the two municipalities, the 10 villages to be merged with the GVMC are: K. Nagarapalem, Kapuluppada, Chepaluppada, Nidigattu, J V Agraharam, Thadi, Salapuvanipale, Rajupalem, Valluru and Koppaka.
The merger was opposed by Pradesh Congress Committee president Botcha Satyanarayana, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry D. Purandeswari, Tribal Welfare Minister P. Balaraju, Visakhapatnam North MLA Tyanala Vijay Kumar from the Congress and his East counterpart V. Ramakrishnababu (TDP).
The merger was opposed mainly one two grounds – that the expectations of people in the 32 gram panchayats earlier merged forming GVMC were not met and the unique character of Bhimunipatnam, the oldest municipality in the State has to be retained.
However, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said the merger would push the population to more than 20 lakh from the present 18.5 lakh making it eligible for a metro rail project.
“Besides the city would be eligible to get more funds for development under the next phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and the slum development programme Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY),” he said. Development would get a thrust, he said.
He asserted that the unique and historic importance of Bhimili would be maintained and improved under the GVMC.
Countering the argument that the expectations of people were not met in the GVMC after it was formed 2005, he said that about Rs.1,500 crore was spent in the areas earlier merged in the GVMC and Gajuwaka alone accounted for Rs.500 crore.
