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FEATURES
Population : Approx. 12 Lakhs
Altitude : 15 feet above sea level
Best Season : August to October and January to
March
Clothing : Tropical in Summers and light woollens in Winter
Languages Spoken : Telugu, Hindi ,English
HISTORICAL VISAKHAPATNAM
Visakahapatnam, the Port city is the jewel on the eastern
coast of India. The City is
a harmonious blend of the magical past and the bustling present with a breath taking
panorama of golden beaches, lush green fields, verdant valleys and splendid monuments from
a historically rich and religious heritage.
Matchless in beauty and landscape,
Visakhapatnam is said to have derived its
name from the deity 'Visaka' ( the God of Valour). The history of the town can
be traced back to Ashoka the Great (272-232 B.C) when this was a small fishing
village of the Kalinga Empire. Later on this Port town successively passed on from
the Andhra Kings of Vengi to the Pallavas, Cholas and the Gangas and then later
in the 15th
century Visakhapatnam became a part of the Vijaya Nagar Empire. The British
took charge of this beautiful land and transformed it into a busy and
flourishing Port town.
Visakahapatnam has always been an important location on the map of the country,
right from the ancient times, especially during the British Rule. The city was
also an important target of Japanese attack during the World War II. The Pakistanis
too attacked the city during the Indo Pak war in 1972, but fortunately no
damage was done to the city.
Visakahapatnam is the headquarters of the Eastern Naval
Command of the Indian Navy. The city is also experiencing a boom in tourism, as the city is endowed
with beautiful beaches, stunning scenic landscape and a rich
cultural heritage. The three majestic
rocky ranges - The Kailasha Hill, The Porlupalam Hill and the Yarada Hill form an
excellent backdrop and enhance the charm of this beautiful Port city.
As one
enters the harbour, a Roman Catholic Church perched atop the Kanyamarykonda (Ross Hill), the Durga Konda
with the shrine of a Muslim saint
Ishaque Madina, and a temple nestled over the Venkateswarakonda hill instantly
draws our
attention and they exhibit the secular flavour of the town.
INDUSTRIAL
VISAKHAPATNAM
Visakhapatnam, the industrial hub has a lot to its
credit. If it were not for the port of Vizag which was opened way back in the
October of 1933, Vizag would still be a sleepy fishing village. The port of
Visakhapatnam handled about 35.65 MT of cargo this year. This happens to be the
maximum amount handled in the country. Now this port promises to become one of
Asia's major ports by the 21st century.
The opening of the Shipyard
in the early 40's by Seth Walachand Hirachand laid the early foundation
for industrialisation in Visakahapatnam. This later became nationalised and
was renamed as Hindustan Shipyard Limited. Caltex
opened its oil refinery with a capacity of 60,000 tpa. This too was nationalised and renamed
as Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. HPCL now operates a 4.5 mtpa refinery. The Government owned
Bharat Heavy Plates and Vessels (BHPV) enjoyed a sunny harvest during its
inception in the early 70's and 80's, but later lost out to more eager and
competitive rivals like Larsen & Toubro, Tata etc. By far and large the biggest
Industrial investment in Visakhapatnam is the Rs. 8,529 crore Steel Plant which
became operational in 1981, though the foundation stone was laid in 1971.
 The
Export Processing Zones have a good infrastructure for software exporters.
Other
important industries include:
- Hindustan Zinc Ltd.
- Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)
Oil Refinery
- Visakhapatnam Port Trust
- Coromandel Fertilisers
- LG Polymers
- Dredging Corporation Of India
Power
Projects
- 'Navratna' National Thermal Power Corporation - With a 1000 MW plant
- Hindujas with a 1040 Thermal
Plant
- Simhadri Thermal Power
Project is well under way
- Another
Hinduja Project is to start later this year.
The State Government is doing quite a lot to convert Andhra Pradesh into a mega Industrial Park. The A.P Industrial Infrastructure Corporation is in
the process of developing the Visakhapatnam - Kakinada belt into a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and has acquired more than half of 8,664 acres for this purpose.
But there is a requirement of top class infrastructure in Transport, Telecommunications and Tourist amenities before the mega bucks start coming in to set up a base
here.
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