VIJAYAWADA: Even after completion of two years after its announcement, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation’s (VMC) ‘Street Furniture’ project is yet to take off in the city.
In the council meeting held on Wednesday, VMC co-opted member Siddham Nagendra Reddy sought a clarification on the status of the project and the amount invested by the corporation for realising the project.
According to VMC officials, the civic body has entered into a pact with Gurgaon based Messers Susank Advertising India Private Limited under the steel furniture project for installing advertising boards and benches across major points in the city. When contacted, Municipal Corporation Commissioner J Nivas said that the consultant firm recently submitted a master draft plan to the civic body.
The company would invest a principal amount through which bus shelters at major roads across the city would be equipped with infrastructure and maintained for a period of 15 years. Already, an year ago, a model bus stop developed by the company, inaugurated near Benz circle, received rave reviews from residents, he said.
Presently, the civic body generates a revenue of `9 crore per annum through advertisements.
The company would invest around `50 crore to improve facilities across the city. Nivas admitted VMC is cash-strapped and not in a position to invest such a huge amount. Moreover, the civic body has not earned revenue through advertisements since a year due to dispute in various judicial bodies. ‘’We hope that the street furniture project will improve infrastructure and address the needs of the residents,’’ added the municipal corporation chief.
What is the Street Furniture project?
The street furniture project includes designing, installing and maintaining street lights, litter bins, newspaper stands, sitting benches, bollard lights among others.
