Vijayawada: Religious structures remain in the middle of the road and highways, violating the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) town planning. Some of the structures were removed at the time of the Krishna Pushkaralu, but there are still 24 more in and around Vijayawada that need to be moved, and the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation and R&B department have issued notifications to remove or shift them.
One structure that obstructs traffic is the Vinayaka temple near the Durga Temple and opposite the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation office building. This temple is in the middle of the road. Its removal was discussed when the Durga Gudi flyover work started, but it still stands in the middle of the road. The Anjaneyaswamy statue at Bhavanipuram is in the middle of the road which goes towards Hyderabad. A proposal to shift it met with resistance from local people.
The local tahasildar said that he is in discussions with local committees and the MLA and hopes to shift the devotional statue. The Anjaneyaswamy temple is in the centre of the Ramavarappadu. The local people supported by a political leader wants the road design to be changed. At various places in One Town, mosques are right on the edge of the road. As per the layout, they have to be shifted. But this has become a contentious issue and due to political pressure, even discussions have not begun.
At the time of Krishna Pushkaralu, 22 temples and statues that were on the road were removed or shifted. Then some organisations, including the BJP, protested and tried to stop the work. The involvement of the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu ensured that the protests stopped and the work could go on.
