Visakhapatnam ( pronunciation (help•info), Telugu: ??????????? ) (sometimes spelled as Vishakhapatnam and often abbreviated to Vizag) is a port city on the southeast coast of India and often called “ The Jewel of the East Coast” . With a population of 2, 035, 690,[1] and occupying 681 square kilometres (263 sq mi),[2] it is the second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India (after Chennai and Kolkata). Visakhapatnam is located 625 kilometres (388 mi) east of the state capital, Hyderabad.
The city is home to severalstate-owned heavy industries and a steel plant; it is one of India’s largest seaports and has the country’s oldest shipyard. Visakhapatnam has the only natural harbour on the east coast of India. It is nestled among the hills of the Eastern Ghats and faces the Bay of Bengal on the east. Visakhapatnam is the administrative headquarters ofVisakhapatnam district and headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy. Language[edit source | editbeta] Visakhapatnam is predominantly Telugu-speaking. The Telugu spoken by the middle class is the standard dialect, while a significant population who have settled down in the city from the adjoining villages and neighbouring districts of Vizianagaram and Srikakulam speak the Uttarandhra (north coastal) Mandalikam dialects while people from East Godavari speak the Godavari dialect.
Historians theorise that centuries ago (when Uttarandhra was part of the Kalinga Empire), Buddhist missionaries and merchants may have taken Telugu script (derived from Brahmi script) to Southeast Asia from the shores of Uttarandhra, where it evolved into the scripts of Mon, Burmese, Thai, Khmer, Javanese, Balinese and possibly Sinhala (spoken in Sri Lanka). Their similarities to Telugu script can be discerned even today. Visakhapatnam is home to small Punjabi, Gujarati, Oriya, Bengali, Nepali and Malayalee communities; their arrival is recent, due to the Naval presence and high concentration of public-sector employers. There is also an Anglo-Indian community.
Many residents also speak English, which facilitates communication between tourists and local people. Transport[edit source | editbeta] Air Visakhapatnam Airport Visakhapatnam Airport is the busiest airport in Coastal Andhra. It is connected by daily flights with Dubai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Kolkata, Kochi, Coimbatore, Raipur and to Singapore. Visakhapatnam Airport recently received permission to operate night flights, and the airport is open until 23: 55.
A new 10, 000-foot (3 km) runway is operational to accommodate international flights and larger aircraft. The airport was recently modernised (including aerobridges and immigration booths), and the new terminal was opened on 21 March 2009. Visakhapatnam became an international airport when Air India began flights to Dubai (via Hyderabad) on 25 March 2012. Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Air Arabia, Thai Smile Airways and SriLankan Airlines have agreed to begin international flights from Visakhapatnam . Vizag airport became operational round the clock from 1 March 2013. Road Visakhapatnam seaport, with harbour interchange fly-by road Visakhapatnam is one of the major cities on the east coast of India connected by NH5, a major highway and a part of the Golden Quadrilateral system of Indian highways connecting Chennai and Kolkata.
The section of NH5 from Kolkata to Chennai connects Visakhapatnam on the northeast and the south. The highway is an important route for transporting cargo and people from these cities via Visakhapatnam. The city has a broad network of roads. There are frequent buses to Kakinada, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Araku, Guntur and Rajahmundry, and bus service to Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Ongole Tirupati, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Koraput, Rayagada and elsewhere in Karnataka.
Residents of Visakhapatnam use a public transport network provided by the APSRTC, which runs buses along a number of routes across the city and its suburbs. The APSRTC complex at Asilametta is the hub for most of these buses, and there are traffic jams during rush hours in the heavily populated, congested Asilametta Junction. The city corporation plans subways, pedestrian overpasses and flyovers to address traffic problems. A Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) was approved for the city under the JNNURM. [11] This will make use of dedicated lanes for buses, allowing for an efficient, high-speed mode of transport for the public, reducing traffic congestion and improving safety.
The project is planned for completion by the end of 2015. A Metro Rail Project has also been planned by GVMC to arrest chaotic traffic condition on the steets. Rail Visakhapatnam Junction Visakhapatnam railway station The first train from Visakhapatnam started in October, 1894 . In the beginning, the railway station was situated at One Town near Old post office, behind Laxmi talkies. Later, in 1968, it was shifted to its present location and was called Waltair railway station. Later, around 1987, Mr.
D. V Subbarao, the then Mayor of Visakhapatnam, changed the name to Visakhapatnam. The Visakhapatnam railway station is administered by the East Coast Railway ofIndian Railways. It is on the Chennai Central-Howrah Station route, although the main line bypasses the Central Station. Duvvada railway station, a suburban station on the main line (near the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant) is being developed into a satellite hub to improve train service into the city. There are direct rail links to Machilipatnam, Vijayawada Junction, Secunderabad Railway Station, Tirupati, Bhubaneswar, Nagpur, Bangalore Bhopal Junction, Mumbai, Surat, Porbandar, Okha, Mangalore, Tiruchchirapalli, Puri, Raipur, Bilaspur, Korba, Nasik, Amritsar, Patna, Ernakulam, Trivandrum, Malda, Kanniyakumari, Shirdi, Aurangabad, Haldia, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Rameswaram, Tata nagar, Digha Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Jammu Tawi, Bhilai, Gwalior, Chennai Central, Vellore-Katpadi Junction, Howrah Station, New Delhi Railway Station and also has direct services to Indore, Ujjain, Coimbatore, Jaipur and other major cities.
Visakhapatnam has a daily Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad Garib Rath Express service to Secunderabad. [citation needed] The K-K line from Visakhapatnam to Kirandul via Araku is laid through eastern ghats. Up to Araku station it is having many tunnels. Also it pass through South India’s highest elevation Broad gauge station, Similiguda, just before Borra caves(Officially, under Odisha Government). Sea Visakhapatnam Port On the east coast of India, Visakhapatnam serves as the gateway waterway for Andhra Pradesh.
It has one of the country’s largest ports, and the oldest shipyard on the east coast. It is a land-locked harbour,[12] as connected to the sea by a channel cut through rock and sand. Visakhapatnam is one of the busiest ports in India. Vizag Seaport owns two berths in the inner harbour; berth EQ-8 is fully mechanised and berth EQ-9 berth is not. Both berths are capable of handling Panamax vessels.
The shipyard at Visakhapatnam is the largest in India. On the Chennai–Kolkota corridor, the city is also a hub for ground traffic. The Gangavaram Port is India’s deepest seaport. In December 2010, Coal India agreed to enable an additional berth to be built at the port.
13] Economy[edit source | editbeta] Fishermen in Visakhapatnam From a hamlet of local fishing communities during the early days of the Indian independence struggle and a few decades later, Visakhapatnam grew economically; the rise has been so quick that the city was identified as one of the fastest-growing in the world, economically and demographically. [14][15] Several factors contributed to its economic growth, including the natural harbour, its location between Madras and Calcutta, access to NH5 and a developed network of railways which changed the hamlet into an industrial city. 16] It has developed into a hub for heavy industry. The Visakhapatnam Port (the largest in the country) was a gateway contributing to the development of the petroleum, steel and fertiliser industries. The Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (recently expanded from 3.
1 to 6. 3 million ton in its daily cargo handling capacity) and Hindustan Petroleum were the two multi-billion-dollar investments that put Visakhapatnam on the industrial map. The city has two N. T. P.
C. power plants to fill its power needs. Visakhapatnam also hosts the headquarters of the Dredging Corporation of India. Megadri River channel, connecting the outer and inner harbours It is a hub for iron ore and other mineral exports; ore from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh is transported to Visakhapatnam by rail and road transport.
From the port, minerals are exported by ship to China and other countries. Visakhapatnam district and its surrounding area have bauxite reserves of 1, 000 MT, manganese ore and titanium reserves in its beach sand. citation needed] Visakhapatnam also owes its economic growth to the availability of an educated English-speaking workforce; English is the first language in many institutions of higher education in the city. The availability of an educated workforce allowed information technology enabled services companies such as Encore India HSBC, IBM Daksh, Sutherland and Acclaris to flourish. The city has 102 small and medium software and call-centre companies, of which about ten began operations from 2005–2007.
Software exports from Visakhapatnam in 2007 were worth 2450 million (US$39 million) and 5020 million(US$80 million) in 2008, 10 billion (US$159 million) in 2011 – an increase of nearly 90% each year. The IT exports from Vizag for 2012 were Rs 1200 crore and 16, 000 people were working in IT industry in Vizag. [17] The city is set to have New Electronic Manufacturing Hub. National and international IT and banking firms (such as IBM, Mahindra Satyam, Kenexa, Infotech, Softsol, and Miracle Software, Wipro) have opened offices in the city.
The Andhra Pradesh government provided infrastructure and land for these companies to set up their development centres in the city’s outskirts. The government has established an IT special economic zone with Incubation center in the Rushikonda Hills in Visakhapatnam. The growing population and economy have resulted in rising real estate prices, with prices at some locations in the city quadrupling in a short time. Real-estate companies are building housing projects in the city’s outskirts. Visakhapatnam has a growing film industry, and is home to Ramanaidu Studios and another studios.
18] Many residential townships are coming up in this area. This initiative by property developers will extend the CBD of VIZAG up to 10 km from the base point. Naval warship The fishing industry is also growing, with domestic and exported tuna doubling in a decade. The city has two ports: Visakhapatnam Port (opened in 1933) and Gangavaram Port (opened in 2008, 15 kilometres (9.
3 mi) from Visakhapatnam Port). Gangavaram Port began with an investment of US$2 billion; it is the deepest port in the country, with the ability to handle large international vessels. Visakhapatnam Port is also expanding and plans to open a satellite port at Bhimili, 20 kilometres (12 mi) away. A cargo ship at Vizag Shipyard Visakhapatnam has the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) special economic zone (covering 5, 770 acres (23.
4 km2) and occupied by WS Industries, Pokarna Limited, Uniparts, Confidence Petroleum, Southern Online Bio, Nagarjuna AgriChem, Anjaney Alloys, Maithon Alloys and Abhijit Ferro Alloys) at Autonagar, Atchutapuram. A railway line is under construction connecting the industrial zone with the Gangavaram Port. The Visakhapatnam Special Economic Zone (SEZ) began in 1989; exports from the SEZ totalled approximately 15820 million (US$252 million) in 2011. [19] Outer Harbour Brandix Apparel City is in operation in Atchutapuram. This is a textile-based SEZ covering 1, 000 acres (4. 0 km2).
The aim of this project is to provide 60, 000 local jobs. It is expected that exports will reach 55 billion (US$875 million) when fully operational. 20] The SEZ has foreign textile manufacturers, including Pioneer Elastic Fiber, Ocean India, Quantum Clothing, Fountain Set Group and Limited Brands. Pilkington (an automotive-glass manufacturer) and Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City (JNPC) are also in Visakhapatnam. JNPC is the only pharmaceutical SEZ in India, with 38 pharmaceutical companies including PharmaZell of Germany and Eisai Pharma of Japan.
U. S. -based Hospira Chemicals has purchased land for a plant in the city. Mahindra Satyam Development CentreShilparamam Jaatara entrance at Madhurawada Companies such as Reliance, Brandix and HPCL have purchased areas in special economic zones (SEZs) for their industries.
Aluminium refineries (such as Anrak Aluminium and Jindal Aluminium) are developing in Visakhapatnam because of the bauxite reserves around the city. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) plans its second research facility in the country (after Trombay) in the area. Visakhapatnam was one of five sites in the country selected to hold strategic crude-oil reserves in case of a national mergency. Other industries include Hindustan Zinc, GAIL, IOC Bottling Unit, BPCL Bottling Unit, Synergies Castings, Rain Calcining Limited, Coromandel Fertilizers, Hindustan Ship Yard, Bharat Heavy Plate and Vessels Limited (BHPV), Visakha Dairy, Vizag Profiles, Essar Pellet Plant, Andhra Polymers (now LG Polymers), Andhra Cement, Andhra Petrochemicals and Andhra Ferroalloys. The prevalence of ferroalloy plants is due to the availability of manganese ore near Visakhapatnam. The city is the headquarters for the Waltair division of the East Coast Railway.
The division generated 34830 million (US$554 million) in revenue in 2009–2010, one of the highest-grossing industries in the country. [21] HPCL Petrochemical Complex Visakhapatnam’s traditional importance in shipbuilding is demonstrated by the fact that India’s first ship (theJala Usha) was launched there. It is one of India’s largest fishing ports, has a dedicated harbour for the fishing industry and handles a large percentage of India’s seafood exports. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (the second centre in India, after Mumbai) is completing a permanent facility in Autonagar which will include a school dedicated to nuclear-power technology. Visakhapatnam also has offices of the National Institute of Oceanography and the Indian Meteorological Department.
APIIC has authorised Unitech Limited to construct a Knowledge City on an area of 700 hectares (2. 7 sq mi), with an investment of 350 billion (US$6 billion). Although with Unitech Limited being involved in the 2G spectrum scam, the Andhra Pradesh government has scrapped the plan as of June 2012; future course of action is unkwnown. 22] Business climate[edit source | editbeta] The City, overlooking seaport From a small village in the 20th century, Visakhapatnam has grown into an industrial hub. The British needed a suitable port to move mineral wealth from central India.
Unlike the western coast, the east coast is devoid of natural harbours. However, Visakhapatnam is protected from the sea on the south by Dolphin’s Nose Hill; the Meghadri River estuary formed a channel which made it suitable for a port. Construction on the harbour began in 1927, and in 1933 it was opened to traffic. View of Tenneti park in Visakhapatnam Novotel Hotel at beach road in vizagA milestone was the establishment of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company (later known as Hindustan Shipyard Limited) in 1940. With the construction of the Kottavalasa-Kirandul (K.
K. ) line connecting the iron-ore mines in Bailadila, Madhya Pradesh (present-day Chhattisgarh), its importance grew. During the 1950s and 1960s the government and the private sector set up large-scale industries such as Bharat Heavy Plates and Vessels, Hindustan Zinc, Dredging Corporation of India, the Caltex oil refinery (later acquired by the government as Hindustan Petroleum), Coromandel International and Andhra Polymers (now LG Polymers). The 1980s saw development of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and other industries.
Economic liberalisation during the 1990s brought modest growth to the city but not as much as it did to Hyderabad. However, industries such as Rain Calcining and the Simhadri Thermal Power plant of NTPC Limited were established, Hindustan Petroleum expanded and the Visakhapatnam Export Processing Zone was established. Visakhapatnam was named as one of the ten fastest-growing cities of the world in a recent[when? study by United Nations. In its extensive survey on next generation of top ten business destinations across the country, Cushman & Wakefield has discovered Vizag as one of the ideal business destinations Due to the presence of the Eastern Naval Command, Vizag Steel Plant and Hindustan Petroleum, the city is home to people from around the country and is cosmopolitan.
Visakhapatnam’s main commercial and shopping centres are in the Dwarakanagar, R. T. C. complex and Jagadamba Junction areas. It has two multiplexes: Varun Beach and CMR Central.
Since 2000, the Dwarakanagar-R. T. C. complex area has become a commercial hub with shopping centres in a 2–3 kilometre radius. The city is home to five-star hotels, such as Novotel, Taj group, ITC-WelcomGroup, Four Points by Sheraton and Park Hotels. Upcoming two 5 Star Hotels are (1) Hyatt Regency ( 225 rooms ) (2) Mariott Renaissance ( 200 rooms ).
Ramakrishna Mission near RK Beach Vsquare-shopping mall at DwarakanagarSoftware and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies have announced plans for development and outsourcing centres in Visakhapatnam, which has contributed to a rise in real-estate prices. An influx of non-resident Indians (NRIs) to Visakhapatnam have further added to this rise. [citation needed] Its skilled workforce allowed the entry of many BPO companies (such as HSBC). Visakhapatnam is experiencing growth in the IT sector, contributing to the local economy.
The city has 102 small and medium-sized software and BPO companies, of which about 10 began operation between 2005–2007. Software exports from Visakhapatnam in 2007 were valued at 2450 million (US$39 million), an increase of over 100 percent over the previous year. St Aloysius Anglo Indian High School (SAS) was established in the year 1847 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. National and international IT and banking firms have established offices in the city, including Mahindra Satyam, Wipro, iSOFT, HSBC Sankhya Technologies, iFlex, Sutherland Global Services, Kenexa, E Centric Solutions and OpenWindow Technologies IBM. The Andhra Pradesh government provided infrastructure and land for these companies to open development centres on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam, with special economic zones to improve employment and increase economic growth.
City-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (such as Jain Infotech, Media Systems, Gaian Solutions, Acclaris, Manuh Solutions, NuNet Technologies, Patra Corp, Prospecta Technologies, Quant Systems, Sankhya Technologies, Samudra Software, Symbiosys Technologies, Xinthe Technologies) and softscripts provide IT and BPO services. Some of these companies have formed an association called Vizag information technology Association (VITA) to promote IT in Visakhapatnam and bridge the industry-school gap. To help companies in and around Visakhapatnam fill their workforces, companies such as IndiGenius and Mafoi provide human-resource services such as recruitment, temporary staffing and training. Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, featuring some of the rarest species in India, opened in 1972 on the coastal hills north of the city. Indian Navy[edit source | editbeta]Visakhapatnam is the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command, the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (a DRDO Lab), a Chief Quality Assurance Establishment (CQAE), an EFS office, a Naval Dockyard (established in 1949) and Naval Bases including INS Virbahu, INS Kalinga, INS Samudrika, INS Satavahana, and INS Dega.
A new base at INS Rambilli is being built on 5, 000 acres (20 km2) with an investment of 15 billion(US$239 million), as the first dedicated submarine base in India. India’s first nuclear submarine INS Arihant was launched in the Naval Dockyard, and Bharat Dynamics has begun manufacturing torpedoes. Visakhapatnam also has presence of the Indian Coast Guard including ships and offices. Projects[edit source | editbeta] Hindujas has begun construction of a 1, 070-MW thermal power plant in Visakhapatnam district at a cost of 70 billion (US$1 billion), and HPCL is expanding the Visakh Refinery from 7. 5 to 15 MT with an investment of 130 billion (US$2 billion). NTPC-Simhadri is expanding from 1, 000 to 2, 000 MW at a cost of 50 billion (US$795 million), and the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has completed its expansion from 3.
1 to 6. 3 MT with an investment of 90 billion (US$1 billion). The Visakhapatnam Port is expanding (at a cost of 30 billion (US$477 million)) to increase its capacity to 80 MT per year. Visakhapatnam is a part of the PCPIR (Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region) proposed between Visakhapatnam and Kakinada.
The PCPIR is expected to generate 1. 2 million jobs and a projected investment of ? 34, 30, 000 million. There is an additional project that is currently going on in Atchutapuram. It will be India’s first rare earths (minerals) extraction plant. The company is basically owned by Toyotsu Rare Earth India Ltd.
Partners of Toyota). Busiest centres in Vizag[edit source | editbeta] With the growing population, Visakhapatnam has turned from a fishing village into a commercial city with busy streets. Some of the busy areas of the city include Jagadamba center, Dwarakanagar, NAD’X’Roads, Dabagardens, Akkayapalem, Maddilapalem, Gajuwaka, MVP colony, Siripuram Junction and Madhurawada. Some of the congestion is come down after the completion of 1. 8 km long fly over road connecting RTC Complex and Waltair Station Approach Road. Tourism[edit source | editbeta]Visakhapatnam has a range of tourist attractions including beaches, cliffs, hilltop parks facing the sea, a beach road, a zoological park and wildlife sanctuary, a submarine museum, hill stations, limestone caves, mountain ranges and valleys within a 100-kilometre (62 mi) radius of the city.
Vizag is also popularly known as the City Of Destiny and The Goa Of East Coast. [23] The City is also Home of many world famous five-star hotels (The Taj, the Park, Sheraton, ITC Welcome, Hyatt, Mariott and the world famous[citation needed]Novotel) and a range of other accommodations. 24] Kailasagiri is a hilltop park adjacent to the sea which offers views of the Bay of Bengal, Visakhapatnam and the Eastern Ghats. An aerial tramway accesses the park from the bottom of the hill. [25] Beach Road, from the East Point colony to the coastal battery, is dotted with parks and statues and is an evening gathering point. On the road is India’s only submarine museum (the INS Kursura), the Visakha Museum and Matsyadarsini (an aquarium).
VUDA park, at the beginning of Beach Road, has a musical fountain, entertainment for children and a roller rink which has hosted national[26] and international skating competitions. citation needed] Rushikonda Beach, 6 kilometres (3. 7 mi) from the city, is a popular evening spot. The 30-kilometre (19 mi) Bhimili-Visakhapatnam Beach Road offers views of sea, sand, hills and greenery. Many parks are located on this road. Tenneti Beach Park is on the cliff of Kailasagiri; there are several points from which the rocky beach beneath can be seen, and a number of Telugu, Tamil and Hindi movies were filmed here.
[27][28][29]Rama Naidu Film Studios is located in Visakhapatnam. [30] Simhachalam is a hill shrine of Lord Narasimha 16 km (9. 9 mi) north of the city. The carved 16-pillared Natyamandapa and the 96-pillared Kalyana mandapa are highlights of the temple. It was constructed by the Gajapathi kings of Odisha before 1500 AD. Pusapati Ananda Gajapati Raju was a descendant of Maharaja Vijayrama Gajapati Raju, bahadur of the former Vizianagaram princely state.
[citation needed] Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, between National Highway 5 and Beach Road, covers an area of 250 hectares (620 acres); it has about 700 animals from about 90 species. The Araku Valley, 112 km (70 mi) from Visakhapatnam, is a tourist destination. 31] The Araku hill station is at an elevation of over 1, 000 metres (3, 300 ft) and known for its gardens, valleys, waterfalls and streams. [25][32][33] On the way to the Araku hill station are the Borra Caves,[34] which were discovered by British geologist William King in 1807. The Marriage Bureau For Rich People series of novels, written by Farahad Zama and published internationally in 13 languages, are set in Visakhapatnam and feature landmarks of the city and its surroundings.
[35][36] Sports[edit source | editbeta] Cricket is the most popular sport, followed by tennis and football. Visakhapatnam is home to a number of local cricket teams participating in district and zone matches. Gully cricket (a form of cricket played in streets or parks) is a popular pastime for local youth. Visakhapatnam co-hosted the 32ndNational Games with the state capital, Hyderabad.
The city has seven cricket stadiums, which are used for Ranji Trophy matches; two of these stadiums have been used for one day international matches. Some of these stadiums are: •Indira Priyadarshini Stadium (five ODI matches): Also known as the Municipal Corporation Stadium, it hosted the first ODI match on 9 December 1988 and the last of the five on 3 April 2001. The stadium has discontinued hosting ODI matches in favour of the newer ACA-VDCA Stadium in Madhurawada. The stadium is in the hills, and provides a scenic view. It also hosted the Twenty-20 match, but was abonded due to rain.
•YSR-ACA-VDCA Stadium (four ODI matches): The YSR-ACA-VDCA Stadium has hosted four ODIs, with India winning against Pakistan in the first, Sri Lanka in the second, Australia in the third and the West Indies in the fourth. The stadium has been upgraded for night matches. It has the most advanced floodlights in India, after Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. The stadium was recently named the YS Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium. •A T20 match was scheduled between India and New Zealand and was abandoned due to rain. •Port Trust Golden Jubilee Stadium: Second-largest stadium in Visakhapatnam, which has hosted Under-19 Youth Internationals Visakhapatnam has not hosted a test match; however, the ACA-VDCA Stadium was recently awarded test status—the ninth stadium with test status in the country, and the second in Andhra Pradesh.
Education[edit source | editbeta] Visakhapatnam is considered a centre for education in Andhra Pradesh and there are a number of primary and high schools and colleges in the city. In addition to state-run schools there are private institutions, missionary schools and colleges. The Indian Maritime University was established as a central university by the government of India by an act of Parliament (the Indian Maritime University Act 2008). IMU is poised to play a role in the development of human resources for the maritime sector. The first of its kind in the country, IMU will fill the educational requirements of the maritime fraternity.
It is a teaching and collegiate university which will offer degree, postgraduate degree and research programmes in all disciplines of the maritime sector. Visakhapatnam also has the National Institute of Oceanography. Established in 1878, A. V. N. College is one of the city’s oldest educational institutions.
[37] Visakhapatnam is also home to Andhra University (AU), established in 1926. Before he became president of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was vice chancellor of the university between 1931 and 1936. AU and its affiliated colleges provide education to thousands of students from the state. Postgraduate and graduate courses are offered in the arts, commerce, science and technology, engineering, IT, business management, law and pharmacy.
The AU College of Pharmacy is the second-oldest pharmacy college in India. The university is in the process of obtaining IIEST status, and there are plans to set up an IIM and a Indian Institute of Information Technology at Visakhapatnam. Andhra Medical College, established in 1902, is the home of several teaching hospitals. The GITAM University (the first private university in Andhra Pradesh) and the Gayatri Vidya Parishad College of Engineering are other technical-education institutions in the city. Engineering colleges in Visakhapatnam include Chaitanya Engineering College, Raghu Engineering College, Vignans Institute of information technology, Sanketika Vidya Parishad College of Engineering, Pothinamallayapalem, Pydah College of Engineering and Technology, Vignans Institute of Engineering for Women, Al Ameer College of Engineering and Technology, Avanthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Visakha Institute of Engineering ; Technology, Visakha Technical campus, Anil Neerukonda Institute of Technology and Sciences and the Vitam College of Engineering.
There are more than 50 engineering colleges in Visakhapatnam. Graduate schools include VIPS, Pydah, Gayatri, AVN, Dr Lankapalli Bullayya College and Dr. V. S. Krishna. St.
Aloysius Anglo-Indian High School is the oldest high school in the district and one of the oldest schools in the country. It was established in 1847, and is in the old town. St. Joseph’s Girls’ High School was established in 1893 in Waltair and is an ICSE school.
Other notable schools are Visvodaya High School, Naval Children’s School, Kotak Salesian School, D. A. V Centenary Public School, Delhi Public School, S. F. S. School, St.
Anthony’s High School, Bethany School, Visakha Valley School and Timpany School. Other schools include the public school at MVP Colony, Pollocks School, St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sri Krishna Vidya Mandir, Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar, Siva Sivani, Saraswathi Vidya Vihar, Little Angels, Little Flowers, Sri Prakash Vidyaniketan and Pavani School. The city has about 10 Kendriya Vidyalayas with a total enrolment of 18, 000. Timpany School has three branches: one affiliated with ICSE and the other two with the Central Board of Secondary Education.
Vikas Vidyaniketan is the largest CBSE residential school. Vijnana Vihara (Gudilova), Visakha Valley School and Sri Krishna Vidya Mandir are also affiliated with CBSE. De Paul School is affiliated with SSC and ICSE. The Indian Science Congress (I. S.
C. ) was hosted by Andhra University in 1976 and 2008. It is the largest congregation of scientists from different disciplines in the world. Over 8, 000 people participated in the I. S.
C. in 2008, including Nobel Prize winners from around the world.