GITAM University founder and MLC MVVS Murthy killed in road accident in US
04 Oct 2018
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GITAM University founder-director and member of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council MVVS Murthy was killed in road accident in the United States along with three others around 3 pm on Tuesday after the car they were travelling collided with a truck.
Another person who was also in the car sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Mathukumilli Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Murthi, popularly known as MVVS Murthi, died in a car accident in Alaska, in the US while he was on his way to a wildlife safari in Alaska.
Reports said the car in which they were travelling collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction near Anchorage.
He was in the USA to attend GITAM alumnus function in California.
Murthy, an MLC in the AP state legislative council, had also served as Member of Parliament from Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency twice - in 1991 and 1999.
The other deceased have been identified as Basava Punnaiah, Veeramachineni Sivaramakrishna and VBR Chowdary.
MVVS Murthi, 80, was born in an affluent agricultural family in Konaseema area of Moolapolam Village, Ainavilli Mandal, East Godavari District on 3 July 1938. After formal schooling at his native place, he moved on to Kakinada for higher studies and graduated in Economics from PR Government College. He obtained Masters Degree in Politics & Public Administration, B L, and also a Ph.D. in Economics from Andhra University.
Murthi is a multifaceted personality imbibing the qualities of an industrialist, educationist, politician and philanthropist. After a brief stint as an advocate in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, he shifted to business and established Visakha Bottling Company (VBC) in 1967 with a modest investment. VBC was a phenomenal success in manufacturing of soft drinks.
Murthi then started Women’s’ Government Junior College at Amalapuram and also established Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Junior College at Vadlapudi in Visakhapatnam and Sri Seetarama Degree College in Poosapatirega, Vizianagaram District and MPM Trust Junior College for weaker sections at Moolapolam Village, Ainavilli Mandal, East Godavari District, his birthplace.
To realize his dream of providing quality in Technical and Higher education, he started Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM) in the year 1980. Recognising the quality in higher education provided by the Institute, union ministry of human resources development granted deemed university status to GITAM in the year 2007 under section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. GITAM University with its main campus at Visakhapatnam and off campuses at Hyderabad and Bengaluru is a leader in imparting higher education in diverse fields.
Murthi was one of the founder members of the now ruling Telugu Desam Party along with the late N T Rama Rao. He was also the chairman of Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) between 1987 and 1989. The Green Visakha concept was his idea and VUDA was in forefront of plantations in the entire country.
Visakhapatnam's tourist attraction and iconic landmark, Kailasagiri park, was initiated during his tenure and he was also instrumental in expanding the VUDA Park.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and a host of TDP leaders from AP and Telangana condoled the death of Murthi in the road accident.
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