The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada News : Line cleared for removal of S.N. Puram track

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 13, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Line cleared for removal of S.N. Puram track

By Our Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA, NOV. 12. The stage is set for the removal of Satyanarayanapuram (S.N. Puram) railway track. The Vijayawada Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), J.N. Jagannath, said here on Friday that operation of trains on the line was stopped on Monday.

The removal of the track, passing through highly developed and densely populated part of the city, was a long-pending demand of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC). The VMC had been making representations to the Railways since 1975.

The Railway Board, however, accorded sanction to the proposals for removing the Satyanarayanapuram line and making the necessary modifications to the Vijayawada yard at an estimated cost of Rs.8.65 crores in 1999-2000.

The land would be handed over to the VMC for the development of a 100-ft road.

All six level crossings in this section had heavy flow of traffic, resulting in traffic jams.

The worst problem was at the level crossing near Kedareswarpet fruit market where the railways operated the old type of gate because of high-tension wires that crossed over the track.

Heavy flow of traffic

The flow of traffic was considerably high at Sitannapeta Gate, S.N. Puram main road gate, S.N. Puram Railway Colony gate, Madhuranagar gate and Gunadala gate.

The VMC is taking the necessary measures for taking over the railway line, protecting the 3.6-km stretch of land and lay a road in a phased manner.

The Municipal Commissioner, V. Usha Rani, recently led a team of officials to inspect the track and assessed the extent to which dwellings in Kuddusnagar and near Satyanarayanapuram station were encroaching the railway land.

The length and breadth of the railway land was videographed for the record. Very stringent action would be taken against persons who try to encroach the land in future, she said.

Road in place of track

The Commissioner said a gravel road would be formed in place of the track at an estimated cost of Rs.17 lakhs. The road would be blacktopped in a phased manner, the Commissioner said.

The removal of the railway track would provide relief to people residing in Kedareswarpet, Ramalingeswarpet, Rajarajeswaripet, Ayodyanagar, Satyanarayanapuram, Mutyalampadu, Bhanunagar, Madhuranagar, Rokallapalem, Durgapuram and Gunadala.

The Commissioner said the bottlenecks on C.K. Reddy Road and G.S. Raju Road would be dealt with after the track was removed and the road formed in its place.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh

News Update

Stories in this Section

Line cleared for removal of S.N. Puram track

Vijayawada-Gudivada alternative line to be inaugurated tomorrow

Delimitation: new wards likely to be added to municipalities

Seminars, workshops to mark cooperative week celebrations

Flyover to be opened on November 25

Four VMC drivers suspended

Around the City

In Vijayawada Today