GUNTUR: With the formation of the new government, denizens of Guntur district are hopeful about the development of the city under the TDP regime.
With more than 150 years of history, Guntur is still languishing behind in development with the main issues being unaddressed. The major issues on the forefront are traffic, lack of proper sewer system, and damaged roads.
Traffic continues to be a major challenge with no widening of internal roads for many decades. Aundeplet Road Over Bridge (ROB) constructed in 1956 continues to be the only link to Guntur West and Guntur East. With the increasing number of vehicles, the bridge is not enough for the smooth passage of traffic.
Though the proposals for the widening of the bridge have been on cards for the past decade, it was left unattended. There are seven Road Under Bridges approved, including Syamala Nagar, Nehru Nagar and Sanjeevaiah Nagar, with still railway crossings holding up traffic for several minutes causing huge discomfort to commuters.
Commuters are facing severe traffic jams, especially at Syamala Nagar and Nehru Nagar railway gate. K Venkateswar Rao, a resident of AT Agraharam said, “When the railway gate is closed, it leads to traffic jams stretching up to 1 km and it takes at least 20 to 25 minutes to clear it. The situation gets worse during 8 am to 10 am and 5 pm to 8 pm, when all school buses and lorries pass through the road.”
The incomplete underground drainage (UGD) works left the roads in shambles. Construction of sewage treatment plants was left in the middle and the broken roads are yet to get repaired in several areas of the city, importantly in the inner roads.
Due to this, the roads are inundated with sewage water whenever it rains in the city making it utterly uncomfortable and dangerous for commuters to travel on these roads.
The city is growing and with as many as 10 villages merged into Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC). However, there are no basic amenities like drinking water, roads and drains. As the people were vexed by the long halt of development, they hoped that the formation of a council after 11 long years might bring a positive change. Even after the YSRC came into power capturing the GMC, the progress of development works are not up to the expectations of the people.
Meanwhile, Guntur TDP MP Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar promised that these issues would be resolved soon after the tripartite alliance came to power. As a result, he along with TDP candidates in both East and West constituencies Mohammed Naseer and Galla Madhavi won with a thumping majority respectively.