Vijayawada: Call for ‘Greater Vijayawada’ grows after TDP-led alliance’s landslide win | Vijayawada News

Vijayawada: The proposal for the expansion of Vijayawada into a greater city has resurfaced following the victory of the TDP, BJP, and Jana Sena alliance in the recent assembly elections.
Residents of suburban areas want the govt to amalgamate nagar panchayats into Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) to facilitate infrastructure development.

In December 2017, the then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had conducted an impromptu inspection of the city and expressed displeasure over inadequate sanitation in the city’s outskirts.VMC officials had clarified that the outskirts were not under the city’s jurisdiction as they were governed by nagar panchayats.
Naidu had instructed VMC authorities to formulate a comprehensive project report for the greater Vijayawada initiative. In 2018, state govt had proposed for the expansion of Vijayawada into a greater city. VMC undertook an extensive exercise, proposing the merger of approximately 51 panchayats in the vicinity of the city.
Former municipal commissioner, J Nivas, had conducted a thorough study on the greater city proposal and suggested the formation of greater Vijayawada with eight zones. He had also appointed four zonal commissioners in the city and carried out a comprehensive analysis to streamline sanitation in the panchayats.
However, the proposal was temporarily shelved due to protests by some locals in Enikepadu, Nidamanuru, and other panchayats, who feared a potential increase in taxes.
Later, YSRCP govt established the Tadigadapa municipality by merging several villages that were initially proposed to be part of greater Vijayawada.
Areas such as Ramavarappadu, Prasadampadu, and Nidamanuru have now become densely populated and residents are grappling with issues related to poor sanitation measures.

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