Visakhapatnam: All Abilities Park draws global attention

Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is not only garnering attention in national platforms but also in international avenues.

In the much-coveted World Smart Cities Awards 2020, the All Abilities Park at R K Beach surfaced in the final list.

The GVMC and Greater Visakhapatnam Smart City Corporation Limited (GVSCCL) took part in the annual Smart City Expo World Congress held at Barcelona, Spain and included the park under the 'Social integration through creation of all ability public spaces – parks for all abilities' project in the living and inclusion award category.

Visakhapatnam competed with Istanbul, Metropolitan Municipality in Turkey and Government of the State of Alagoas, Brazil for the award.

Developed by the GVMC as a part of the Smart Cities Mission, the park is one of the projects selected for the final list from the country. "It is indeed a proud moment for us. Among the entries that arrived from 46 countries across the world, the All Abilities Park is the only project from India that entered the final list under the living and inclusion award category. It encourages us to initiate such projects and get recognised in the international platforms," says G Srijana, Municipal Commissioner. Renovated by GVMC at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore, the park is equipped with climbing nets, interactive musical instruments and multi-purpose lawn, among other features.

The world congress aims at empowering cities through urban innovation across the globe and creating a better future for cities, engaging the experts, entrepreneurs and public representatives to learn from one another, share best practices and open up opportunities for global collaboration. It also intends to make the cities around more sustainable, livable and economically viable.