Inside Vizag’s silent and steady ascent

Visakhapatnam, the naval city on the east coast of India, has been rising quietly, with ambitions to fuse Bengaluru’s tech energy with Goa’s touristy charm

- Manoj Sharma

Many localities in the like Yendada (above) are seeing a big property boom.

(R NARENDRA/HT PHOTO)

As the Sunday sun melts into the Bay of Bengal, Visakhapatnam’s RK Beach Road — the city’s social spine — springs to life.

Queues spill out of the naval museums, with the INS Kursura submarine drawing the longest line. Tourists play on the sands, couples stroll along the broad, clean footpaths, and cafés buzz with chatter in Telugu, Hindi, English, and Bengali, giving Vizag — its fond nickname — the easy charm ofa compact, multicultural city.

Seated on a bench, a group of fresh GITAM University engineering graduates share dreams over coffee. “I've landed a job in Hyderabad, but I'll probably be back soon to live and work here in my own city. Every month, I hear of new companies planning to set up shop in Vizag,” says 2l-year-old Sai Sashank Arya. Rajesh Goyal, an IT professional from Pune on a six-month stint in the city, nods in agreement. “This place has a real Californian vibe—the ocean, the hills, and the rising and falling, winding roads. This city has the potential to be the San Francisco of India. I plan to buy a home here,” he says.

Long known for shipyards, its formidable steel plant, and its many public sector giants, this quiet port city has been refashioning itself as India’s next big tech destination. It recently hit the headlines after Google's blockbuster announcement: a $15-billion plan for its first and largest Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub outside the US.