As one walks down the dingy lanes of Chaitanya Nagar, it makes one wonder how thousands of families have been living in the cramped neighbourhood for ages.
In the 80s, the residential area of low-income groups, located close to Kinnera theatre, was carved out of Maddilapalem and formed into a separate colony. With a hope to rebuild their lives, those from neighbouring villages such as Bheemli, Bodapalem, and Srikakulam have made the place their home.
“We have moved out of our native places pinning hopes on our children’s future. However, we ended up sticking to petty jobs, continuing our lives with a meagre income. What still keeps us going is our slim hope of leading a better future,” says Yerramma, an 80-year-old woman.
The narrow streets that stretched all along the colony are dotted with a number of tailoring shops, makeshift vendors, kirana stores, vegetable and meat shops and a number of tiffin outlets. Except a very few, most of the residents belong to low-income groups and have been engaged in jobs such as construction and domestic works.
Thirty years before, the famous Sri Kanakamma Devatha temple was the only popular landmark that was so apparent in the area. However, with hundreds of tiny houses being built close to one another, the 80-year-old temple now lies hidden amidst the concrete jungle.
Dozens of tiled houses in the locality have been damaged due to the very severe cyclonic storm Hudhud that ravaged the city last month. “Even after a month-long exercise of approaching the authorities concerned for compensation, no sort of help has reached us so far,” says M. Rajeswari, a resident.
From the area that had no roads and drains, Chaitanya Nagar has seen streaks of changes over the years. However, what remains to be focused is the hygienic condition of the locality which appears to be bleak.
