The State government promised a moon on the earth saying best road connectivity to capital city Amaravati and flyovers such as Kanaka Durga flyover will be a reality by Krishna pushkarams. Though a couple of projects were launched the year 2016 disappointed the people, who still hope that the New Year will bring fortunes and these projects will be completed.
The Outer Ring Road (ORR) project, which was conceived in late 2000, did not take off despite the fact that the land acquisition was completed and work order was issued in 2012. The project is expected to congest traffic in the city. It will give a hassle-free run to goods carriers and handle the load of traffic plying between Chennai-Hyderabad, Chennai-Howrah, Howrah-Hyderabad and Howrah-Chennai.
The Vijayawada ORR has been designed to take off from Mangalagiri on NH-5 and connect with NH-9 at Gollapudi. The road is supposed to touch both Nunna and Mustabad, meet with NH-5 again at Peda Avutapally (Gannavaram) before ending at Gundugolanu in West Godavari district.
At a snail’s pace
The much-hyped Kanaka Durga flyover works are going at a snail’s pace. The government vowed to complete it before river Krishna pushkarams conducted in August 2016. The six-lane flyover, being built at a cost of Rs.447 crore, starts at Kummaripalem and ends at the Rajiv Gandhi Municipal Park. Amid growing concern over the delay in the construction, the company that bagged the contract, however, claimed that as per the contract January 2017 was their deadline. It is unlikely that the flyover will be completed as per schedule.
Another project that still remains on paper and planning stage is Benz Circle flyover. After more than a decade of floating the idea, the project gained momentum with Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas (Nani) taking it up wit the Union Surface Transport Ministry. There is no progress in Benz Circle flyover works though Union Minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation in 2015. It was expected that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would commence the works last year.
In 2011, the Centre sanctioned 162-metre-long flyover proposed from Skew Bridge to the Nirmala School junction and later extended it to 618 metres. The Ministry of Road Transport and Shipping turned down the proposal to construct the flyover covering Ramesh Hospital Junction on National Highway 16.
CPI(M) Capital Region Convener Ch. Babu Rao says that there were many projects in the city that were yet to be completed or started. Gunadala flyover, second flyover near Ajitsingh Nagar, Madhura Nagar under bridge, Vambay Colony under bridge are a few to mention.
The government makes tall claims. But, there was hardly any progress on infrastructure development in the city. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu asked officials to prepare estimates for the second flyover at Ajitsingh Nagar but no progress thereafter. “The government is turning Vijayawada into an old city by projecting Amaravati as the future,” he added.
