A decade-old wait of residents of Ramavarappadu is finally coming to an end with the Krishna Pushkaralu.
Lack of connectivity due to absence of proper bridges over the Ryves and Eluru canals and the railway track passing parallel through Gunadala and Ramavarappadu has been hampering the expansion of city towards areas located behind the canals since long.
The Gunadala Vanthena near Urmila Nagar and the narrow bridge at Ramavarappadu over Ryves canal have been serving as lifelines to lakhs of commuters and also the traffic between Vijayawada, Nunna, and Nuzvid.
Now that the Railways and the district administration are planning to use the Gunadala and Ramavarappadu railway stations largely for the Krishna Pushkaralu, the connectivity issue has come to the fore.
The State government has sanctioned a bridge over Ryves canal at Ramavarappadu, which would be built parallel to the existing 3-foot.-wide bridge that exclusively connects the National Highway and Ramavarappadu railway station.
“The government has sanctioned a larger bridge over Ryves canal to connect Ramavarappadu railway station with the city and the relevant file is with the Finance Department. It would come up for use by the time of Pushakaralu,” Krishna district Collector Babu. A said.
This bridge, however, would largely help residents of Ramavarappadu and PSR Colony later.
Stone laid in 2008
In fact, then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy laid a foundation stone in the year 2008 to construct the same bridge with a budget of Rs. 1. 25 crore, but it was ignored.
On connectivity to the Gunadala railway station, Mr. Babu said that a road would be laid by the Panchayat Raj Department from the station to the Inner Ring Road, which would land at Ramavarappadu to cater to the rush during the Pushkaralu.
However, this in no way comes as a help to the people of Urmila Nagar, Carmel Nagar, and other areas in Gunadala as people have to travel extra kilometres to reach the city if the new connection is taken.
