VISAKHAPATNAM: With cargo movement expected to increase during this decade at the Visakhapatnam port, it is important to focus on the development of road infrastructure, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)s Vizag zone chairman G Sambasiva Rao said here on Tuesday. Addressing a round table conference on infrastructure development activities and challenges of Vizag on Tuesday, he said that emphasis should be on improving and expanding roads in the city. Also, vehicle terminals and parking lots along with footpaths for pedestrians are crucial to ensure the city has no traffic chaos in the coming years, he said. Pointing out that the port was expected to handle around 200 million tonnes of cargo by 2020, he said that all stakeholders including Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (Vuda) and the city police need to plan ahead to meet the increasing vehicular movement. Speaking on the occasion, architect and urban planner Anil Laul called for the need to improve infrastructure by constructing flyovers at NAD, Maddilapalem and Gajuwaka. At the same time, he said traffic should flow in a seamless manner without any interruptions due to frequent traffic signals. Union minister of state for commerce and industry D Purandeswari said that safety and augmentation of infrastructure is necessary in order to cater to the increased trade in coming years. Purandeswari said that she will take up the matter by involving all the concerned departments to make the city safe and sustainable for future growth. Highlighting the recent efforts for safer roads being taken up by the police department, police commissioner B Shivadhar Reddy said that more stringent measures are in the offing against motorists who flout rules.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 02:57:03 +0000