Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) has stood first among all major ports in the Swachchta Pakhwada Awards, which are dedicated to cleanliness and hygiene.
VPA chairman M. Angamuthu, along with secretary T. Venu Gopal and chief engineer M. Hariya received the Swachchta Pakhwada Award at a ceremony in New Delhi on Thursday from union minister Sarbanada Sonowal.
Angamuthu commended the entire VPA team for their outstanding contributions, which helped Visakhapatnam port in securing the 1st rank among all major ports nationwide and 3rd rank among all organisations under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.
The VPA chairman attributed the port’s success to rigorous implementation of its Swachchta Action Plan, which includes activities like wharf cleaning, shed repairs, auctioning and disposing of unserviceable items, uniform colour coding for signage and boards, road cleaning and repair, modernised toilet complexes and availability of dustbins.
Angamuthu highlighted VPA’s focus on environmental sustainability through initiatives like solid waste collection, segregation, sorting and storage on ships, as well as treatment of liquid and faecal waste before discharge.