Smart City projects will be implemented over a period of five years with an outlay of ?1602 crore and the government has so far released ? 394 crore, Municipal Commissioner M Hari Narayanan has said. In his address after unfurling the tricolour at GVMC, he said 24X7 water supply, sewage treatment, smart streets, greens space development, underground electric cabling, prevention of erosion, development of the Beach Road and housing for all were the components. While the Central and State governments will contribute ?500 crore each, funds will be raised from other government departments too. The implementation of the project began with formal launching by the Chief Minister on June 25, 2016. Having improved its ranking of ‘five’ to ‘three’ in 2017, the city, having been declared ODF, was working towards becoming the cleanest city in the country. It stood first in the ‘Swachh’ survey organised by MA & UD Department. With the installation of 1.07 lakh LED street lights, Visakhapatnam got recognition as the ‘City of Lights’ at national level, Mr Hari Narayanan said. Listing progress on the other front, the Commissioner said work on waste-to-energy plant began and six night shelters for homeless were being run. Recognition of street vendors and self-employment through skill development were among the other measures being implemented.

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