The Hindu Business Line : Row over commercial use of old Vizag jail premises

THE proposed commercialisation of the old jail site here, 28 acres in the heart of the city, has triggered a controversy, with many organisations and individuals opposing the move, as they apprehend that it will add to the pollution and leave no lung space for citizens.

It will also entail felling of several trees, more than 50 years old, causing extensive damage to ecology.

The State Government has recently issued a GO handing over the site to the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority for development. An I-max cinema is proposed to be set up on the site besides a park.

People for India, Visakhapatnam forum, is holding a "people's ballot'' to mobilise the opinion of the public on the issue and exert pressure on the Government.

Prof. K.V. Ramana, former vice-chancellor of Andhra University and chairman of the forum, is of the opinion that the site, a public one, should be used only for social purposes and it should not be commercialised.

"The decades-old trees on the site should not be felled. It should be used for developing a park, an arts theatre, a science museum and a planetarium. It should not be used for setting up cinema halls and discotheques in the name of promoting tourism," he has said.

Prof. P. Krishna Prasad, the vice-chairman of the forum, has said that increasing industrialisation and trade in the city were leading to pollution. Therefore, there should be some vacant space and greenery in the heart of the city.

"Moreover, I-max cinema is too costly for the common man and the public site should not be used for the amusement of the affluent sections and the tourists," he has said.

Ms B. Eswaramma, a CPM corporator, has said the move is very dangerous and it should be opposed tooth and nail. "Bars and discotheques should not be allowed on the site," she has said.

Mr B.B. Ganesh, convenor of the forum, has said the ballots will be counted on Saturday and the public opinion will be conveyed to the Government.

"We hope the Government will respond positively and give up the move," he has said.

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