VIJAYAWADA: As the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), local residents allege, pays little attention on carrying out road repair and maintenance works, a majority of the arterial roads in Pakeer Gudem, home to many automobile stores and car-repairing sheds, are in a bad shape. With this, commuters passing through the area, especially during night, are facing a harrowing time, more so because driving through those roads becomes very difficult.
‘’Most of the roads in our locality have developed potholes. Stagnation of water on the road surface has done the damage in most of the cases. What adds to the problem is ‘encroachment’ of the storm water drains. People tend to cover these drains to construct driveways, etc. We are therefore fighting for removal of encroachments over these drains,’’ said Ch Ramana Murthy, a resident of the locality.‘’The stretch between Labbipet and Pakeer Gudem had developed many potholes after heavy construction machinery passed through the stretch when the storm water drains in the locality were being developed,’’ said K Sunaina, a student, who commutes regularly through the stretch.
Driving on the internal roads of the locality, as has already been stated, is a nightmare. The potholes on the roads, at some places, have however, been filled up with bricks - a patchwork though - making the roads uneven. But the condition of the roads, in general, is very bad, she said.Other than the problem concerning bad roads, the residents face the menace of stray dogs. ‘’Our area has dozens of stray dogs, which thrive solely on the garbage, in and around the bins,” said K Anupama, a resident of the colony. The authorities are however, aware of the problem, but no visible action has been taken, residents say. “We have petitioned the VMC officials on several occasions, but all requests have fallen on deaf ears,” said K Narasimha Rao, another resident of the locality.
The lung of the locality, a park, where the local residents used to walk once, is also in a bad shape. “The park is now overrun by wild bushes and shrubs, making it virtually inhospitable for the local people. This has given the anti-social elements of other places an opportunity to frequent the park at odd hours. Agitated over the presence of the ‘outsiders’, on a couple of occasions, the local people turned bold enough to confront and warn them. But things have hardly changed,” he said.
When contacted, VMC officials accepted that some of the problems existed. ‘’Carrying out repair works of roads are a continuous process. We are re-laying roads, which are in need of repair and were earlier identified by us, all across the city,’’ said VMC executive engineer P Adi Seshu. He said that some of the roads in the locality had been damaged due to the movement of heavy machinery for the execution of storm-water drain project and other construction works. A survey will be conducted soon to identify the damaged roads in the locality and works to mend those will commence, he said.
Quite an ordeal for road users
Most of the roads in our locality have developed potholes
Stagnation of water on the road surface has done the damage in most of the cases
Some of the roads in the locality had been damaged due to the movement of heavy machinery for the execution of storm water drain project and other construction works
With the completion of the centre and the ghat road extending to 5 km, the historic fort, a citadel of power for over three centuries, is set to become a popular tourist destination
Stray dogs too strike terror on roads