177 Velampeta families to get flats where their huts stand; ₹40 crore slum redevelopment begins in Visakhapatnam

Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana speaks to residents after laying the foundation stone for the slum redevelopment project at Velampeta, near Lakshmi Nagar in One Town, Visakhapatnam, on Wednesday.

| Photo Credit: V. Raju

Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P. Narayana on Wednesday (September 9, 2026) laid the foundation stone for a ₹40 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.Where 177 families now live in one-room houses at Velampeta in Visakhapatnam, a ₹40 crore complex is to come up, giving each of them a 410 sq ft flat. Residents signed promissory notes before moving out; each family gets ₹3,000/month towards rent while it is built. 📹 V. Raju pic.twitter.com/1SjYhZ93KE— The Hindu - Andhra Pradesh (@THAndhra) September 9, 2026When 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.