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Visakhapatnam gets ₹1,501.03 crore Centre nod for water, drainage projects; Madhurawada gets lion’s share
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Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner Ketan Garg. File | 03 crore.The projects were cleared under the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) at a meeting in New Delhi, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner Ketan Garg told The Hindu on Wednesday (May 13, 2026).Madhurawada gets the lion’s shareThe largest share of the investment is going to the Madhurawada growth corridor, with ₹725.18 crore for a 24/7 smart water supply system and ₹658.61 crore for an underground drainage (UGD) network. These projects include a 65 MLD water treatment plant and a 20 MLD sewage treatment plant using Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) technology.Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal CorporationThree projects, ₹1,501.03 crore in totalCleared in-principle by the National Apex Committee under the Urban Challenge Fund65 MLDwater treatment plant37,407AMI smart connections planned401 kmsewer network20 MLDsewage treatment plant (SBR)7,857connections, bulk and semi-bulkSCADAbased monitoring systemCity-wide automation against water lossesA third project, valued at ₹117.24 crore, focuses on the automation of bulk and semi-bulk water metering across Visakhapatnam. By integrating Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)-based systems and installing over 7,800 meters, the GVMC aims to improve billing accuracy, monitor production nodes in real time and reduce non-revenue water (NRW) leakages.Blended finance modelThe portfolio is structured under a blended finance model, combining a 25% Government of India (GoI) grant via the UCF (₹375.26 crore) with multilateral financing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and domestic bank lending from Canara Bank and Indian Overseas Bank (IOB).GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg said, “The sanction was made as a resounding endorsement of the city’s commitment to evidence-based and fiscally responsible infrastructure planning.” Published - May 13, 2026 02:58 pm IST
Swedish actor Olivia Hoy in a still from ‘Signal’ directed by Sagi Sree Hari Varma. | Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Varma described the journey of ‘Signal’ as surreal and said that the project began as a proof-of-concept for a larger feature-length techno-horror film he has been developing over the past two years. “The short film was initially meant to help me pitch the feature version to studios and investors. We never imagined it would travel this far,” he said.The 2-minute-54-second film, conceived as a “techno-horror theatrical experience”, explores a world plunged into chaos after the collapse of digital connectivity. Made during Varma’s participation in the CinemadaMare filmmaking fellowship in Italy, the film is led by Swedish actor Olivia Hoy and shot in a single take on an iPhone, a choice Mr. Varma describes not as a limitation but as the most effective tool for a film that needed to move fluidly through multiple locations in one continuous sequence. Visakhapatnam-born filmmaker Sagi Sree Hari Varma. | Varma studied at a private educational institution in Visakhapatnam before moving to the Rashtriya Indian Military College in Dehradun. He later pursued Computer Science Engineering at SJB Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, where he began making short films. Subsequently, he studied at VGIK, the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in Moscow, attended a summer programme at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, and earned a Certificate in Journalism from the University of California, Los Angeles.In 2019, he became, by his account, the only Indian national selected for the Academy Gold Rising programme. He will also participate in a panel discussion alongside Oscar-nominated director Ted Melfi at the Academy screening on June 9.‘Signal’ has won awards across six continents, Mr. Varma said, earning the Main Prize at multiple international festivals including the SmartFone Flick Fest in Sydney, the Istanbul International Spring Film Festival, the Indian International Panorama Film Festival in Mumbai, and the Modern Black and White Film Festival in Argentina, among others. The film also had its North American premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, he added.The response in India had been equally encouraging, Varma recounted, with a felicitation at the Palakollu International Short Film Festival by Andhra Pradesh Minister for Cinematography Kandula Durgesh.Mr. Varma expressed gratitude to his mentors Ned Price and Ted Melfi, Bettina Fisher of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and producer Shobu Yarlagadda for their support.“The dream now is to make ‘Signal’ into a feature-length film and create a larger immersive theatrical experience for audiences,” he added. Published - May 10, 2026 07:52 pm IST
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