The Vijayawada Guntur Tenali Mangalagiri Urban Development Authority (VGTMUDA), drawing flak over delay of various projects, is gearing up to build confidence among the stakeholders.
The Vijayasri and Bodhisri are two of the few prestigious projects that are hanging in balance for various reasons, mostly due to want of land.
From the Payakapuram housing scheme in 1987 to the Amaravathi Township at Mangalagiri, the UDA has always had to face considerable flak from people on several occasions and shelve some of its proposals at the conceptual stage itself. The Goods and Truck Terminal at Ibrahimpatnam, Singapore Township, and Oryza county are some other projects that are either not operational or haven’t taken off.
The farmers are unwilling to part with their land at Mustabada for Oryza as they are suspicious that UDA projects will end with mere land acquisition. Unless the project is completed, the land values in the vicinity would not go up, the farmers argue.
Some of the projects completed, like the flyover at Kaleswara Rao Market at a cost of Rs.14 crore, stand testimony to the sorry state of affairs in the UDA, as it only compounded the traffic woes at the Police Control Room Junction.
When contacted, UDA chairman Vanukuri Srinivas Reddy says: “At this juncture, we will not take up any new projects. Instead, we wanted to complete the projects that are on-hand on a priority basis. Our prime objective is to build confidence among the people.”
