VIjayawada roads mishap-prone

The roads in areas like Guru Nanak Nagar, Patamata, Auto Nagar, Bandar Road, Hanumanpet, Prakash Nagar, AVS Reddy Road, Payakapuram, Gunadala, Nakkal Road, Islampet, Chitti Nagar Bypass and Errakatta Road are severely damaged. In some of the roads the gravel is skidding the vehicles and causing accidents.

On Sunday, two members of a family died in an accident on Errakatta Road as the road was totally eroded.

Mr Perugu Venkateswara Rao, a security guard for Sridevi Hospital at Nakkala Road said, “The tar on the roads is gone years ago. The officials fill the potholes with gravel, and cure it with water and red soil.

Within two days, the situation returns to the past and further increases the damage. Many persons visit this hospitals area daily and at least one skids on the gravel in two or three days and suffers injuries on ankles and elbows.”

Mr S. Veeraswamy, a water bubble supplier for hotels in Pushpa Hotel Road and a resident of Kasturibaipet said, “The manholes are too deep from the road level. The streetlights in this area go off regularly after 10.30pm or 11pm. The speedy bike drivers lose balance of the vehicle and accidents occur.”

Mr Venkata Krishna, a resident of Islampet said, “We have given complaints to the corporation and discussed with our corporator also. The corporator expressed helplessness and said that the corporation has no money to take up any repair works. We demand the corporation to provide the facilities first and then they may ask for tax enhancement.”

The outcry of the people didn’t reach the officers of VMC. When the DC showed some photos of bad roads, the officers in the engineering department easily identified the locations.

Superintending engineer (Works) M.A. Shukoor ordered the officers to take care of them. An engineer said, “We are already doing the patch works with tar. It is a continuous process.”