GVMC Speeds Up ₹40 Crore Slum Redevelopment, 177 Families to Get Free Flats in Velampeta

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has accelerated work on a ₹40 crore slum redevelopment project at Velampeta Lakshmi Nagar, deploying round-the-clock crews to prepare the site for 177 low-income families to receive permanent, free apartments on their own land. Following an inspection by GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg, officials were directed to complete hut clearance and site-levelling on a day-and-night basis. Unlike conventional slum clearance that relocates the poor to distant suburbs, this project keeps residents in the same area, preserving their access to local livelihoods.

Each family will receive a free two-room flat measuring around 410 square feet, with an estimated market value of ₹20 lakh. Each unit includes a separate bedroom, kitchen, living space, and bathroom, with 15 flats per floor. The complex will include elevators, internal roads, sewerage and drainage systems, street lighting, a community hall, and a children's park. APUIAML is also laying a paved road connecting the complex to the Allipuram main road.

Families who have lived on this land for nearly four generations without formal titles had long feared permanent displacement. To address this, GVMC is paying each relocated family ₹3,000 a month in rental assistance, with those who fully vacated and demolished their homes given a lump-sum advance of six months' rent (₹18,000). Beneficiaries were also issued legally binding allotment documents with specific flat numbers before vacating, to prevent future disputes.

Earlier relocation drives to distant colonies like Parawada, Anandapuram, and Gidijala disrupted people's livelihoods, increased commuting costs, and often led residents to drift back into the city. This project takes a different approach by keeping auto drivers, domestic workers, street vendors, and sanitation staff, most of the affected residents, close to their existing work. Overseen by Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana and MA&UD Principal Secretary S. Suresh Kumar, the project is targeted for completion by late 2027 and is being positioned as a model for slum-free urban redevelopment across Andhra Pradesh's major cities.