Issues related to lack of adequate parking, encroachments and repair of roads took the centre stage during the road safety review meeting organised by the district administration under the leadership of District Collector A. Mallikarjuna here on Friday.
During the meeting, Dr. Mallikarjuna has asked the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) officials to focus on parking issue. He said that all the commercial establishments in the city should provide cellar parking for their customers. The vehicles are being parked on the road obstructing the traffic, which is further leading to congestion, he said. The GVMC should ensure that every establishment has proper parking place in the next couple of months, he said.
He also said that the civic body should coordinate with the police and make sure all the encroachments are removed from the National Highway and the State Highway. He has asked the police personnel to curb drunken driving in the city and ensure the persons involved in it face action as per law. Dr. Mallikarjuna also asked them to prevent violations like cellphone driving and no-helmet driving.
He has asked the officials to provide pedestrian grill railings between Hanumanthawaka and Adavivaram BRTS road. He also asked to improve lighting between Marikavalasa and Tagarapuvalasa in the coming two months.
“An amount of ₹28 crore was allocated for road safety needs in the district and ₹21 crore was utilised for various works. We have spent ₹43 lakh for development of junctions, ₹1.17 crore for arrangement of speed breakers and road markings. Similarly, ₹42.5 lakh was spent on underpass, ₹1.38 crore was spent on arranging grills on medians, ₹54 lakh was spent on lighting, ₹11.4 crore was spent on parking and ₹8 crore was used to repair potholes,” he said.
GVMC Commissioner C.M. Saikanth Varma said that the corporation would take up arranging grills between Gajuwaka and Anakapalli, road development works will be taken up at Jagadamba, Old Postoffice, Srikanth Nagar, Hanumanthuwaka Junction, Kailasagiri Junction, Akkayyaapalem, Yendada, Rushikonda, 100-foot road opposite Jathara at Madhurawada, Satyam Junction, HB Colony, Passport office and BRTS roads. Junctions like Siripuram, Dutt Island, Jagadamba, Simhachalam, Adavivaram, Vepagunta and Akkayyapalem will be developed as part of road safety measures, he said.
Deputy Transport Commissioner G.C. Raja Ratnam gave a presentation on the works taken up as part of road safety so far in the district.
ADCP Traffic Sheikh Arifullah and others were present.
