VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has commenced works to develop the 650-metre stretch of Besant Road as an exclusive ‘Shoppers Street’ at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. As part of the proposal, the civic body will enforce street regulations, organised vending and hawking area, parking and exclusive use of pedestrians in the stretch.
VMC CE D Mariyanna told TNIE that Besant Road is a one-stop centre for crockery, hardware items, handbags, footwear, street food among others. However, during the peak hours and festive season, hawkers and vendors conduct their trade in a haphazard manner, disturbing the smooth flow of vehicular traffic and inconveniencing shopkeepers.
Keeping this in view, the VMC has decided to develop the stretch as a ‘Shoppers Street’, which will help the hawkers carry out their business smoothly. Recently, VMC commissioner V Prasanna Venkatesh along with MLA Malladi Vishnu conducted a ground level inspection of the drain works and interacted with the hawkers and vendors and explained the project outlay to them.
After examining the designs, they expressed satisfaction at the designs, readied by the civic body, in developing the hawker zones in a limited space with available infrastructure.
The VMC chief asked them not to park their push carts and extend support for materialising the works. The corporation has identified 160 vendors and 264 hawkers who carry out their trade on the 650-metre-long and 13-metre-wide stretch. Also, the ‘Shoppers Street’ will have a capacity to park 497 two-wheelers, he informed.
“At present, the side drain works on the stretch are being repaired at a cost of Rs 50 lakh and they will be completed in a month. In the next phase, tiles, billboards and street lights will be installed where the hawkers and vendors can conduct their business without inconveniencing the shopkeepers. We are expecting the ongoing works to be completed by January 2021,” Mariyanna said.