The residents of Kadiri town and its surrounding mandals of Obuladevara Cheruvu (ODC) and Nallamada are a worried lot, thanks to the poor road infrastructure which has made several stretches death traps.
The residents blame it to the indifferent attitude of the authorities towards improving the road infrastructure in line with the growth in vehicular traffic. As many as 20 people have lost their lives in the two kilometre stretch between Koneru circle near Khadri Nrusimha Swamy temple in the town and Mondemvani Gatlu, which is a key link to the national highway to Bangalore. People say with the road is an elevated one, motorists can’t see the oncoming traffic on the Kadiri Hindupur road and this leads to frequent accidents. In a recent incident, two persons were mowed down by a 32-wheeled trailer truck carrying cement loads in excess coming from cement factories in Kadapa district.
“All these trucks, some 500 of them, pass daily through the road with narrow lanes and blind turnings, on their way to Bangalore and other regions of Karnataka and Kerala. Absence of an alternative road is resulting in fatal accidents, mostly involving two wheelers. Negotiating curves and heavy vehicles on this stretch is really dangerous,” said K. Jayachandra Reddy, a social activist from Kadiri.
However, effort is on to lay a bypass road connecting Pulivendula road, which in turn connects Anantapur - Kadiri road, Mondemvani gatlu on Kadiri-Hindupur road, via outskirts of Kadiri to reduce traffic snarls in Kadiri. The plan also includes increasing widening of Kadiri-Hindupur road and making it into a four-lane State highway.
“The proposal was mooted during the first term of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy government. However, it was shelved and has been gathering dust since then, even as people continue to die year after year,” opined Mr. Jayachandra Reddy.
