The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation has come out with a slogan describing the city as one on the fast track.
But, the pothole-filled roads make one wonder whether the city is really on the fast track, or is gradually losing direction.
Several pleas to Municipal Commissioner G. Panda Das to ensure a smooth ride on the roads seem to have not worked.
A journey from Patamata to the Screw Bridge turns nightmarish at the Benz Circle. With the police placing a divider on the Bandar Road leading to the Benz Circle to create a free left turn on to the NH 5, potholes have turned into large ditches with pools of rainwater. These are posing a threat to large vehicles, as they lose balance every time they negotiate this turn.
Journey on the city roads has turned a nightmare for motorists and pedestrians as well in this active monsoon season. After the heavy rain last week, even walking on some of the roads has become difficult.
Several roads, including those in the core areas of the city, are in a bad shape. There is no effort to fill the potholes even on arterial roads such as M.G. Road and Karl Marx Road, which the VVIPs take on a daily basis. In some places, the craters are very deep.
Take for instance the stretch of road near the Sub-Collector’s office on the Bandar Road. It is a bumpy ride from the Victoria Museum junction to the Besant Road. Another example is the road near the VGTMUDA office. The road is full of potholes. The Benz Circle remains waterlogged with rainwater.
Roads in the One Town area have taken a severe beating following the recent rains, causing a lot of inconvenience to road-users. Roads have not been restored after completing the Under Ground Drainage (UGD) works. Their condition worsened after the spell of rain last week.
“The corporation should have taken up repair works during summer so that road-users are not put to difficulty during monsoon. Now, the motorists are put to hardship, as they are facing difficulty in negotiating the pothole-filled stretches,” said CPI(M) leader Donepudi Kasinath.
