VIJAYAWADA: Motorists and pedestrians commuting on the Five No. Road are facing a tough time to navigate the potholes as the road has been dug up for laying power cables, but has still not been restored even though months have passed since the works were completed.
The stretch from Challapalli Bungalow to Ramesh Hospital Junction is one of the busiest ones in the city due to the presence of hotels, educational institutions, restaurants and shopping malls. With the city witnessing a moderate rainfall in the past two days, stagnation of water and potholes were found in numerous places on the stretch causing severe hardships to motorists and pedestrians.
“How can the public commute on the stretch as a major portion has been dug up for laying power cables that were left unattended even after its completion,” rued Ch Vidhyadhara Rao, a commuter. The problem gets worse during the monsoon as vehicles get caught up in traffic jams near Moghalrajpuram, Giripuram and Red Circle Junction as there is hardly any place left for them to pass due to the debris.
Steps should be taken by the VMC officials to recarpet the stretch at the earliest to prevent untoward incidents,” Rao urged. N Subramanyam, an auto driver expressed ire at the civic body for prolonging the works, said “I have no choice, but to ride along the stretch daily since customers pick up autos from here. Riding along the road causes spinal and back-related issues. When it rains, the motorists fail to judge the depth of the pothole and meet with accidents.”
VMC CE M Prabhakar Rao said that a few months ago, the Energy department has dug up the stretch to lay the power cables, after which it will be handed to the VMC. “We have prepared proposals regarding the relaying of the stretch at a cost of `2 crore and tenders will be invited soon,” he said.