The statues of politicians and public personalities and et al on public places have always been an inconvenience to the road users. The erection of statues is also a question of pride for the political parties and the VMC Council witnessed many chaotic scenes in this regard while deciding on giving permission.
The erection of statues even created ruckus in the city and continue to pose problems to the people. But the recent Supreme Court directive comes as breather for the public.
One such glaring example is Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy statue installed near Police Control Room (PCR). The road users always find it difficult to manoeuvre their vehicle to gain access to the only flyover in the city. The design of mouth of flyover and the huge statue obstructs the free flow of traffic.
The visibility of vehicles coming in opposite direction on the flyover is also near zero due to the statue. It is not just one statue that is causing traffic snarls. A statue of Potti Sriramulu close to Prakasam Barrage, Ashoka Pillar near Kanaka durga ghat and a statue at Mogalrajpuram (near ICICI bank ATM), Alluri Sitaramaraju statue and YSR statues near Budameru also obstruct the free flow of vehicles.
Vinayaka temple on Canal Road and a Dargah near the Durga ghat are few bottlenecks to mention, but probably they existed even before the roads got expanded. There are tens of statues of politicians and former elected representatives, flag post stands in the city that cause hardships to the people.
The VMC Council witnessed chaos over a proposal to erect the statue of Vangaveeti Radha, elder brother of former MLA Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao, on National Highway-5, some time ago. The former council also wanted to install a statue of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy near Kanaka Durga vaaradhi, a busy junction on the national highway.
At present, there are 25 proposals pending with the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation. Most of the proposals were regarding statues of the YSR. The Corporation already rejected 10 proposals citing the GO 55 of Roads and Buildings. The VMC gave permission to a statue of cine actor Sobhan Babu as it was recommended by the Government.
The fate of these proposals and sanctions hangs in balance in the light of the apex court orders. The Supreme Court directed all States not to grant permission for erecting statues or construction of any structure at public places or on highways which would obstruct traffic.
