VIJAYAWADA: With the city witnessing moderate rainfall for the past few days, roads in various localities have become dotted with potholes, making it tough for pedestrians and motorists. Despite a number of accidents being reporting on such roads, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials have not taken any steps so far to repair the damaged ones.
When TNIE carried out a ground-level inspection on Sunday, it found several potholes on the city roads especially at Suryaraopet, Moghalrajpuram, Gunadala, Satyanarayanapuram, Bhavanipuram, Patamata and Ajith Singh Nagar. In some areas, stone chips were found scattered on the roads, thereby increasing the risk of accidents. This has prompted commuters to express their ire against officials concerned, as every year a major chunk of the civic body’s funds is spent on road works.
“Despite the fact that we are shelling out thousands of rupees in the form of taxes, the civic body has turned a blind eye to our problems. Since the past one year, I have been traversing the Gunadala and Sunnapu Battila road stretch which was dug up for laying power cables and other works left unattended even after their completion. As a result, several potholes have developed on the stretch, thereby becoming a nightmare for pedestrians and commuters who have to bear the physical and financial loss”, rued Vallabhaneni Satish Babu, a private employee.
“It has become a routine affair for the civic body officials to repair the damaged roads but no quality checks of the works are conducted. In several areas, the depth of potholes is considerable and the stretch between Pipula Road and Inner Ring Road is horrible when it rains. You can’t even avoid the unevenness of the road as your movement is restricted on the busy road”, said D Naga Sri who commutes via the stretch to reach the city from Jakkampudi.
When contacted VMC chief engineer in-charge JV Ramakrishna said that increasing pressure from the residents to improve the motorable condition of the roads have forced the corporation to chalk out a project in an effort to shift its focus on repairing the damaged roads.
“At present, 70 per cent of the city is covered under the underground drainage system (UGDS) and the ongoing works to connect the remaining parts of the city with UGDS in a phased manner is also one of the reasons for the delay in repairs,” Ramakrishna said.
Asked whether the VMC has enough funds to repair the damaged roads, the official maintained that a proposal had been sent to the municipal administration seeking the release of pending funds for the execution of developmental works, adding that as soon as the funds are received, work will commence.