Residents Demand Accountability for GVMC Study Tours

Resident associations in Visakhapatnam have questioned the frequent study tours taken by corporators of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC). They say the trips lack transparency, cost too much, and have not brought any visible improvement to the city.

On Thursday, members of the Visakhapatnam Apartment Resident Welfare Association (VARWA) and the Greater Visakha Residents Colony Association Federation (Nivas) demanded reports on the last three tours. They pointed out that although corporators travel every year, no findings have been shared with the public or even tabled in the council.

“This year, 82 corporators toured Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Delhi, Ajmer and Pushkar. It is the fourth year in a row,” said B.B. Ganesh of VARWA. In earlier years, corporators went to Delhi, Shimla, Manali, Chandigarh and Agra in 2022; Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir in 2023; and Coimbatore, Mysuru and Bengaluru in 2024.

Residents argue that none of these visits have resulted in better services in Visakhapatnam. “Were these tours useful? Did we adopt anything from them? Or are they just amusement trips at taxpayers’ expense?” Ganesh asked.

The cost of the tours has also raised concerns. The 2022 trip cost about Rs 1.33 crore. The 2023 visit to Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir cost about Rs 1.80 crore. The 2024 southern tour was expected to cross Rs 2 crore. Residents say such spending is hard to accept when the city still struggles with potholes, drainage and sanitation problems.

Corporators say the tours give them exposure to best practices in other cities. But residents counter that without reports or discussions, these claims are unconvincing.

“If the trips are truly for learning, then findings should be documented and debated,” Ganesh said. “Otherwise, they only look like leisure tours paid for with property tax money.”

Resident associations have asked GVMC to set guidelines. They want pre-tour agendas, public release of reports, and formal debates on how lessons can be used in the city.