Rains are back, so are the worries of motorists. It needed just two days of incessant rains to expose the poor quality of roads or the lack of them in the city. Be it the Sitarampuram stretch on Eluru Road, Kedareswarapeta Road near fruit market, Tarapeta-Gandhi Hill Road or residential colonies such as Currency Nagar, yawning potholes welcome motorists. And, they, more often than not, take detours to reach their workplaces.
“While the dust on various stretches troubled us during summer, it is now the turn of water-logged roads and potholes. The condition of roads has gone from bad to worse in the city, and driving has become a challenge,” fumes J.S.T. Sayi, a resident of Poornandampeta.
Apart from causing inconvenience to motorists, poor roads almost brings traffic to a standstill during peak hours. “It is high time the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation authorities focused on recarpeting roads,” says Raghurama Rao from Gandhinagar.
On the other hand, the corporation authorities insist it is a common phenomenon during this time of the year, as water and asphalt do not mix, resulting in damage to roads. More importantly, they cite dearth of funds for the delay in taking up repair and recarpeting works.
Though the corporation allots more than Rs. 30 crore is allotted for repair and recarpeting works every year, funds are hardly released. Before the general elections, repair works were taken up utilising funds worth Rs. 6 crore sanctioned by the State government.
Given the financial situation of the corporation, unless State government sanctions funds, chances of taking up repairs or recarpeting are bleak, says a senior official from the VMC engineering section.
