Bhogapuram Villagers Demand Urgent BN Road Works
Residents said several promises were made during the recent elections by NDA coalition MP and MLA candidates, but no repairs have been taken up so far. The poor condition of the road has hit pregnant women and patients the hardest, as they struggle to travel safely.
Visakhapatnam: Residents of Bhogapuram village in Rolugunta mandal of Anakapalle district staged a striking protest on Saturday, performing full-body pradakshinalu to demand urgent repairs to the BN Road, a key route that has fallen into severe disrepair.
Lying prostrate on the road, the villagers used the ritual—normally associated with temple worship—to underline the seriousness of their demand for the immediate start of reconstruction work. The BN Road, laid during the British era, connects Bheemunipatnam to Chodavaram and Vaddadi to Paderu in the erstwhile Visakhapatnam district. Years of heavy movement of granite and black stone trucks from nearby quarries have left the road riddled with deep potholes, making travel dangerous.
Residents said several promises were made during the recent elections by NDA coalition MP and MLA candidates, but no repairs have been taken up so far. The poor condition of the road has hit pregnant women and patients the hardest, as they struggle to travel safely.
“Despite inspections by the R&B Chief Engineer and visits by MPs and MLAs, the road remains in a pathetic state. Even assurances by the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and the R&B Principal Secretary that the work would be completed before Sankranti have not been honoured,” said K. Govinda Rao, member of the CPM district executive committee.
The protest was organised by the CPM. Girijana Sangham leaders Pangi Chandraiah, Padi Banniayya and Pangi Bhaskara Rao also took part, demanding immediate filling of potholes and commencement of construction work.