Bharat Nagar, Arilova, is a veritable paradise for thousands of middle income groups who continued to reside in the colony for ages for the kind of diversity it offers.
Bordered by Thotagaravu and Balaji Nagar, Bharat Nagar is classified into four rehabilitation colonies. Apsara Colony is meant for the erstwhile Apsara hotel staff, Drivers’ Colony, where lorry drivers were allotted 96 square yards each, Ex-Servicemen Colony for the retired defence personnel and ST Colony for the tribal people.
Once a barren land, Bharat Nagar later turned into a farmland where millets were grown extensively, and now it becomes an urban jungle with absolutely no traces of the past. “When we stepped into the Ex-Servicemen Colony in 1996, roads were not laid. There were no power supply and drinking water facility. We used to depend on a borewell located a km away from our house for our drinking needs. However, the scene has changed over the years,” recollects G. Lakshmana Rao, who works in anti-malaria unit, Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
R.S.R. Murthy, a lorry driver, who came to Drivers’ Colony in 1980, says that the colony suits both middle and upper middle classes people. “This quality, coupled with improved infrastructure, makes the area one of the favourite spots in the city. Today, not many would think twice to reside here,” he says.
Besides a GVMC dispensary that caters to the healthcare of the locals, grocery stores and banks, the locality also houses a couple of mosques, churches and temples that bring Hindus, Muslims, and Christians together.
It needs a college
Though the place has a few private schools, the residents here say that lack of college in the neighbourhood is deterring many girls from continuing with higher studies. “It is one of the major constraints we face here. A college or a centre that offers professional courses will help many students get a degree and develop their employability skills. Since the place is dominated by middle income groups, not many are willing to venture out to study in private colleges located in faraway places,” says Sowjanya, a resident of ST Colony, who recently discontinued her intermediate for the same reason.
Free flow of sewage in some of the drains remains blocked by silt. Incidents of thefts and snakes finding their way into the houses are some of the problems faced by the residents here.
Zone I Commissioner: P.M. Satyaveni; Zonal help desk: 0891-2715716.
