It was a grand start. In July 2018, works for the expansion of the Christurajupuram Road, a two-kilometre stretch between Amma Function Hall and the Gunadala Panchayat Office centre, began with the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) felling trees to clear the way.
Seeing it, residents of colonies and the hill slope areas alongside the road heaved a sigh of relief hoping that soon the ordeal of traversing the pothole-ridden path would end.
Where’s the road?
Cut to the present. The situation got no better and motorists and locals continue to face hardships. Though the civic body planned to lay the stretch in time, many administrative troubles and technical issues hampered the progress leading to an inordinate delay. Laying of underground electricity cables, fund crunch, general elections, and rains are among the many reasons that slowed down the project. Lack of coordination between the many departments only compounded the delay.
As a collateral damage, locals and commuters have been facing severe pollution due to rising stone dust and crushed stones dumped on the road for over a year. Post elections, only half the road was laid as of now and the remaining stretch continues to trouble motorists.
A half-laid road
"We thought the works would be completed in a month after the elections. But only half the road was laid and there has been no progress for months. The dust raised due to movement of RTC buses and other vehicles engulf our building throughout the day. We are spared only when it rains. Efforts by the VMC to address the problem gave only temporary relief," K. Ravi, a resident of Jayaprakash Nagar lamented.
According to officials, it might take at least a couple of weeks to finish once works start, a proof of the pace of development works in the city.
Caution: Work under progress
Construction of a stormwater drainage network, the city’s biggest project, the Benz Circle and Kanakadurga Flyover works are still under progress.
The Benz Circle flyover which is supposed to have been completed a few months ago hit a roadblock due to resistance from Patamata Lanka residents, who opposed construction of the retaining wall blocking the SVS Function Hall junction.
Locals unhappy
"The flyover should have been completed by now. Officials had failed to consult the locals before finalising the design. When the locals realised they would lose connectivity to NH they started resisting," said Bhupathi, a Patamata Lanka resident. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was then forced to change the design and build an underpass on the locals’ demand. Result? Time and cost overruns. Once the flyover is completed, construction of another stretch of the flyover is supposed to begin.
The high-profile Kanakadurga Flyover is most likely to be completed by December 31 as announced. Started in 2016, it, and the stormwater drain projects are older ‘under construction’ projects causing trouble to Vijayawada citizens since the beginning.
Major pollution centres
"The drains in our colony were removed more than a year ago and since then it was replaced with the new construction. Also, the pit dug across the Nelson Mandela Park was not filled. So, access to the park has been lost. At least now the officials concerned should realise the situation and act swiftly towards completion of the works here," said A. Srinu, a resident of LIC colony.
Moreover, the under-construction sites have turned into major pollution causing centres troubling locals and passersby. The Tax Payers’ Association has already raised the issue. Superfluous though, they are also causing frequent traffic jams.
