A VIZAGITE AS OLD AS OUR COUNTRY (60 YEARS)!

Not many of us have the privilege of being born on the same year and same day that India achieved Independence. Mr. Kasturi Satyanarayana of Vizag is one of those fortunate ones - born on 15th August 1947 at Visakhapatnam.

Mr Satyanarayana was educated at St. Anthony School at Vizag and later went to Delhi to pursue higher studies.  He was employed at Coromandel Fertilisers and later with the Broadcasting Ministry in Saudi Arabia.  He now leads a retired life in Vizag.

Speaking to VizagCityOnline.com, Mr Satyanarayana said that he felt special that his birthday was celebrated by the entire country.  When asked if he felt that the country had progressed since his birth, he felt that this was certainly the case.  

Speaking of his dreams and hopes for the country, he wants India to be a permanent member of the United Nations security council!

Mr Satyanarayana is positive about the future of the country and feels that soon it will be among the top five nations in the world measured by any index.

We wish him a Happy Birthday and a Happy Independence Day.

4th August, 2007

Environmental norms thrown to the winds?

A project is coming up on beach road in disregard of concern for environment. A private company that engaged in the construction of a multiplex comprising six theatres and a hotel near Ramakrishna Beach has been flouting the environment and Coastal Regulation Zone norms.

The entire project comes in CRZ area – II. Though construction is permitted in zone II area, a special permission is needed from the State Coastal Zone Management Authority if the cost of construction exceeds Rs. 5 crores. The projected cost is over Rs. 25 crores and so far the company has not applied for permission. It has also not applied for special permission for sinking borewells.

Sinking of borewells without proper assessment and clearance is prohibited in CRZ areas. This was confirmed by the Andhra Pradesh State Environment and Forest Science and Technological Department. No clearance sought. As per a notification from the Ministry of Environment and Forest prior special clearance is also required if the built-up area exceeds 20,000 sq. m. and the initial plan sanctioned by the GVMC puts the figure at 22,288 sq. m. GVMC sources said the company had applied for an additional 3,000 (approx) sq. m. of built-up area which was also approved. The Pollution Control Board confirmed that they had not received any application from the company. As per the Environment Protection Act of 1996, construction beyond 20,000 sq. m. in CRZ area needs clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority. Moreover, the authorities have handed over 700 sq. m. (approx) of open public land to the company. As per GO 72 of 2002, neither the government nor any local body has the power to convert open space earmarked for parks or playgrounds for any other purpose. But the local authorities have annexed the land to the company as a ‘special case’ through GO 554.

However, the GVMC clarified that due to the irregular shape of the open space, left unused for several years, it was exchanged for 275.93 sq. m. of land of the company earmarked for road-widening. The multiplex also flouts the norms of the VUDA master plan that prohibits, through GO 345, construction along Beach Road beyond a height of 10 metres . But the proposed height of the project is 27 metres. The GVMC points out that the restriction has been enhanced to 30 metres through a new GO. But then the plan for the multiplex was approved when GO 345 was in force.