The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : On the warpath for a link road

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 06, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

On the warpath for a link road

Staff Reporter

Vexed residents launch relay hunger strike in support of their demand

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

UP IN ARMS: Residents of Chaitanyanagar in Maddilapalem area raising slogans demanding an approach road to highway in the city on Monday.

VISAKHAPATNAM: For the past few years, their demand for a tiny approach road connecting their area to the highway, a stone’s throw distance from Kinnera theatre and Satyam Centre, has remained a daydream.

Running from pillar to post in vain, they have gone on protest mode to bring their genuine demand to the notice of the authorities of Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation to take up work on the road after a sangham which built a boundary wall obstructing the laying of the proposed road blocking the way agreed about six months ago during Praja Patham to part with 10 ft. area.

Dumping yard

Now with the consent of the sangham, the existing 12 ft. pathway could be increased to 20 ft. approach road.

The vexed residents launched a relay hunger strike under the aegis of Navachaitanya Mahila Neighbourhood Committee on the highway on Monday.

Committee vice-president J. Bulli Ammayi said that as per the VUDA master plan, there should have been a 30 ft. road from Chaitanya Nagar (Maddilapalem) to the highway. Now part of the area has 30 ft. black top road. The remaining stretch is in deplorable condition with its conversion into a dumping yard and an outlet for open drainage.

The pathway used by many to reduce distance for coming to the highway near Kinnera theatre also causes accidents. For those using the 30 ft. road stretching over 100 meters for coming to highway, have to cover half-a-kilometre extra.

The residents of the area say that the authorities need not spend much to develop the blacktop road its length would be around 100 metres. Once the road is laid, the residents can have easy access to the highway.

During the Praja Patham, Visakha-II MLA S. Rangaraju, Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao, Municipal Commissioner Mukesh Kumar Meena and 14th ward corporator G. Ramani inspected the area and promised to take up the matter on war-footing.

“Unfortunately there is no speed in following up. We don’t know why they are taking so long to lay such a small road,” Kalyana Rao, an employee said.

As there is no road, the GVMC has also not provided them streetlights, facilitating vacant sites in the area as dens for anti-social activities.

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