"Post elections, I will stay in Vizag", says Jagan; unveils Vision Visakha

Visakhapatnam: "Vizag has to be developed I am assuring you, post elections, my stay would be in Vizag. In fact my swearing-in ceremony would also be in Vizag," said Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

On Tuesday, Jagan unveiled 'Vision Visakha', a roadmap for developing Visakhapatnam into a global metropolis and an economic growth engine to compete with cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Jagan's promise to live in Vizag is often repeated and is yet to become a reality.

Envisioning an iconic secretariat building, stadium, convention centre, institute for emerging technologies and other futuristic initiatives, the Chief Minister noted that the port city can be pitched at a global scale to attract the world's eyeballs.

"What is the vision for Vizag? We need to have a 10-year vision. We would have to own the city and christen the city as the executive capital. We need to have a roadmap, which is workable. It cannot be a roadmap where we just dream big and yet achieve nothing," said Jagan addressing the delegates.

However, he noted that this vision cannot be realised by the state government alone and called for the participation of the Central Government, private sector, public-private partnerships and other stakeholders to assume their roles.

According to the chief minister, Vizag just needs some "finishing touches", highlighting that the forthcoming greenfield Bhogapuram Airport and Mulapeta Port will form a horizontal growth corridor with it.

He also said that the city needs a Metro rail, resorts and other projects to catapult its stature while highlighting that he is also negotiating with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring a couple of high speed rail corridors into Andhra Pradesh.

According to the 'Vision Visakha' document, the port city is expected to witness Rs 1 lakh crore worth investments in the next five years on connectivity, industrial landscape, livability and social infrastructure, sustainability and climate resilience, and urban planning and city infrastructure.

Emphasising that Andhra Pradesh's services sector encompasses only 40 percent of its GSDP, Reddy said it should be raised to the national average of 55 percent.

He also noted that 39 percent of the Rs 13 lakh crore investments inked through 352 deals in the 2023 Global Investor Summit have translated into reality.