The State government on Tuesday issued notification for inclusion of 13 mandals of non-Agency areas of Visakhapatnam district in the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA).
VMRDA Commissioner P. Koteswara Rao said that out of 43 mandals of Visakhapatnam district, 19 of them were already covered by VMRDA, and 11 mandals were covered in Agency area while the remaining 13 non-Agency mandals were outside the VMRDA area.
Due to rapid urbanisation of Visakhapatnam city, a significant urban sprawl was detected in the fringe areas of the existing VMRDA limits towards the western corridors of Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region. In order to reduce pressure on urban infrastructure of the city, and to ensure planned development in the fringe areas and to control growth by way of curbing unauthorised constructions, the Commissioner said that the 13 mandals were brought under the jurisdiction of the VMRDA.
The 13 mandals cover 431 villages with an extent of 2,28,019 hectares (2,280.19 sq. km).
