APPCB Chairman P. Krishnaiah, VPA Chairman Jasmeet Singh Bindra, GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg and VPA Vice-Chairperson Roshni Aparanji flag off the Green Walkathon organised along Beach Road in Visakhapatnam on Monday.

| Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT

The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB), in coordination with the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), organised a Green Walkathon along Beach Road on Monday as part of “Swachh Vayu Diwas – Clean Air for Blue Skies”.APPCB Chairman P. Krishnaiah said industrial growth should be accompanied by the expansion of green cover to create employment while addressing environmental concerns. He said the APPCB was spending about ₹3 crore annually on air quality monitoring equipment across the State.The walkathon, which began at Kali Mata Temple, was flagged off by Mr. Krishnaiah, Visakhapatnam Port Authority Chairman Jasmeet Singh Bindra, GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg and VPA Vice-Chairperson Roshni Aparanji. Officials, industry representatives, environmentalists, voluntary organisations and members of the public participated.At an interaction held later, Mr. Krishnaiah called for coordination among government departments, the Port, local bodies, industries and citizens to improve air quality. He also stressed the involvement of young people in awareness campaigns.Mr. Bindra said plantation activities were being undertaken on the port premises, and measures such as covering transport trucks with tarpaulins and mechanised water sprinkling were being used to control dust emissions. APSRTC Regional Manager B. Appala Naidu said the corporation was increasing the number of electric buses.The APPCB Chairman inaugurated a Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (CAAQM) station at Harbour Park. The board said three more such stations were being established in Visakhapatnam.A workshop at the GVMC office discussed pollution sources, control measures and future action plans. District Collector Abhishikth Kishore and Mr. Garg attended the programme. Mr. Garg said GVMC would soon introduce an automated traffic signalling system. Published - September 07, 2026 10:44 pm IST