A number of shops that sell coir and palm products, aluminium kitchenware and many more dot the dingy lanes of Rammurthy Pantula Peta near Kancharapalem Mettu.
The neighbourhood that dates back to the 1930s is a place where over 2,000 people live in modest dwellings. Some of the buildings retain their old-world charm. Weekly shandies are the ones residents of RP Peta and neighbouring areas look forward to as many products would be sold at a throwaway price.
A village goddess Pydimamba temple and a century-old Ramalingeswaralayam form a part of the neighbourhood.
Earlier, farming was the only source of income for residents of RP Peta. However, over the decades, a majority of people residing in the colony work in Railways, Visakhapatnam Port Trust, Hindustan Shipyard Limited and other public sector units.
A blanket of smog envelops the neighbourhood. Kantamma, a colony resident, said “the kitchenware and clothes look messy all the time because of the port pollution that has become our constant companion. We have approached the authorities concerned to consider measures to monitor and control pollution levels. However, no steps have been taken till now to tackle the problem.”
The construction of railway underbridge and underground drainage are in progress. Residents said the manned level crossing at RP Peta remains locked and they find it inconvenient to cross the gate and reach their destinations, especially during school and office hours.
“Those who are impatient tend to board the trains stationed at the level-crossing gate to access the other side of the road. This apart, children have to take the flyover route to reach the municipal school in the neighbourhood,” said S. Nagabhushanam, president of Gowri Seva Sangam of RP Peta.
Parents in the colony said it was quite risky to leave the children alone on the roads and hence they have to accompany them to their schools and bring them back home, squeezing into the path adjacent to the gate. Colony people said that commuting woes become all the more complex during jatara and weekly shandies.
Zone IV Commissioner: S. Ramana Murthy; Helpdesk No: 0891-2711480; Mobile No: 9705086888.
