New VMRDA chief pedals to office to take charge

Visakhapatnam: Telugu Nadu Students Federation (TNSF) state president MV Pranav Gopal who was appointed as the chairman of Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) arrives at the office on bicycle to assume office on Monday.

Clad in yellow, symbolising the colour of the TDP, Pranav Gopal reached the VMRDA office as an ordinary party person in the presence of the MLAs and other public representatives.

Before taking charge as chairman here, he performed a special puja to Lord Ganapati at the Sampath Vinayagar temple in Asilmetta and reached the office from the temple by pedalling the bicycle.

Instead of erecting any flexies or hoardings on the occasion, Pranav Gopal preferred doing it in a simple manner.

Also, those who met him in the office to greet on the occasion were told not to bring any flower bouquets but books, pens and other educational material needed for school students instead. After assuming charge, Pranav Gopal said that the received material would soon be distributed to the poor students.

TDP state president and MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao, MLAs Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, PGVR Naidu (Ganababu), Vizianagaram MLA AtidhiGajapathi Raju, MLC Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao, Duvvarapu Rama Rao and chairmen of various corporations congratulated the chairman.

Speaking on the occasion, Pranav Gopal expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan, IT and education minister Nara Lokesh and municipal administration minister P Narayana for placing trust in him and giving him a huge responsibility.

Further, he said that he would work hard to achieve the goals of the government and place Visakhapatnam, which is the financial capital of the state, on the world map for certain. He said that henceforth, he will be in the office every day and review the progress of the VMRDA.

Earlier, Pranav Gopal served the party as a worker and the state president of TNSF. He organised a number of protests against the YSRCP during the previous government’s regime. Recognising his services, the NDA government gave him the opportunity of VMRDA chairman.