MLAs Seek More Anganwadi Centres, Raise Pollution Concerns

Visakhapatnam East MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu on Thursday called for the expansion of anganwadi infrastructure in the city, urging the state government to approach the Centre for the sanction of 159 additional centres to meet the rising demand.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Legislative Assembly, the MLA said the city currently has 777 anganwadi centres catering to 74,776 children. Referring to the prescribed norm of one anganwadi centre for every 1,000 beneficiaries, he said Visakhapatnam requires at least 159 more centres to adequately serve the eligible population.

He also pointed out that 215 centres are functioning from temporary buildings and urged the government to provide permanent structures at the earliest. Several centres, he added, lack basic facilities such as furniture and essential infrastructure.

Ramakrishna Babu noted that Visakhapatnam has been witnessing increased migration due to growing employment opportunities. He said anganwadi centres play a vital role in supporting the children of migrant families and appealed to the government to obtain the necessary approvals to address the infrastructure gaps.

Meanwhile, Pendurthi MLA Panchakarla Ramesh Babu raised concerns over pollution caused by pharma industries in his constituency. He said that despite repeatedly bringing the issue to the government’s attention, no effective measures have been taken.

He highlighted severe pollution along the Parawada–Lankelapalem stretch, attributing it to heavy vehicles transporting coal and fly ash. “Residents, vendors, and shopkeepers along the route are facing serious hardship due to coal dust and emissions. Heavy vehicles should be diverted to a separate road to reduce pollution and inconvenience,” he said.