Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P. Narayana on Wednesday (September 9, 2026) laid the foundation stone for a ₹28.44 crore slum redevelopment project at Velampeta, near Lakshmi Nagar in One Town, under which 177 families will get flats of about 410 sq ft each in multi-storeyed blocks on the land where their houses now stand. Each flat is valued at about ₹20 lakh.
He was accompanied by Visakhapatnam South MLA Ch. Vamsikrishna Srinivas, District Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore and Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner Ketan Garg.
Mr. Narayana said the project was taken up after seeing the difficulties of residents living in cramped houses, including families with children and elderly persons. Some of the houses were as small as six to eight square feet, he said, and residents faced considerable hardship, particularly during the rainy season.
When he brought the residents’ problems to the notice of the Chief Minister, Mr. Narayana said, he had immediately asked the authorities to take up the issue and bring it before the Cabinet. The Municipal Administration Department and other officials then discussed and approved the project in record time, he said.
The houses would be constructed using shear-wall technology, similar to that adopted for TIDCO housing, he said. The technology uses concrete walls throughout the structure, which would make the buildings stronger and more durable, though the construction cost could be higher.
Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana, Visakhapatnam South MLA Ch. Vamsikrishna Srinivas, District Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore and GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg lay the foundation stone for the slum redevelopment project at Velampeta in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit:
V. Raju
The contractors had initially sought 18 months to complete the project, but he had insisted on a shorter timeline. “I asked them to complete it within six months. Finally, we fixed a deadline of nine months,” he said, adding that the Chief Minister was expected to inaugurate the completed project by the end of next July.
Residents signed promissory notes before vacating the site, and each family has received ₹18,000 towards rent, at ₹3,000 a month for six months of the construction period.
Mr. Narayana said the Velampeta project would be the first of its kind in the State and that the government would soon take up similar slum redevelopment projects elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh. He thanked the district Collector, the GVMC Commissioner, the Municipal Administration Secretary and other officials for bringing the project to the foundation stage.
Mr. Narayana recalled that he had also served as Municipal Administration Minister from 2014 to 2019, when Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had stressed the need to provide every family with a good house. “We wanted to provide better housing for people,” he said, recalling the TIDCO housing built during the previous NDA government. The government had sanctioned seven lakh houses between 2014 and 2019, he said, but the YSRCP government had reduced the number to 2.61 lakh. After returning to power, the NDA government had once again taken up the TIDCO housing programme, he said.
I feel like this is a dream
For Lakshmi, who has lived in Velampeta for nearly four decades, the project means more than a new house. It is a chance for her grandchildren to grow up in better surroundings. “We have struggled a lot here. During rains, water enters the house. I feel like this is a dream. Now, my grandchildren will be able to live peacefully,” she said.
Ramesh, who has lived in Velampeta for around 30 years, said residents had heard assurances of housing many times, but had never seen them acted on. “Many times, we were assured that houses would be provided, especially during elections, but nothing materialised. We have also lost hope. For the first time in our lives, we are seeing things progressing. We are really excited about the future of our children,” he said. “My two children will have good house.”
Residents who had spent much of their lives in the settlement gathered for the ceremony, and talked of moving into permanent homes without leaving the neighbourhood where they had built their lives.
Published – September 09, 2026 02:49 pm IST
