Visakhapatnam: Colony Watch 80-feet road a double whammy for motorists

Visakhapatnam: As a part of the Smart City project, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has sanctioned a broad divider and double drain at the 80-feet road in Thatichetlapalem. The works have already started but there are no safety measures taken by the contractors due to which the motorists are facing problems. The GVMC has given the road beautification project to two different contractors for double drain works and the divider. Both the works are still underway. The 80-feet road has been blocked by the construction material on both the sides and with the debris of old divider at the middle of the road. M. Suresh Babu, a resident of Thatichetlapalem said, “On Saturday night, I was about to hit my vehicle to a concrete mixer while returning home at around 1.00 am. It was parked in the middle of the road and I could hardly see it as there were no street lights.”

The old road-divider has been dug and the debris was not yet cleared. Moreover, the concrete gravel and sand was placed there for many days for the drain works. These obstruct the traffic throughout the 80-feet road stretch, which runs along busy areas of Railway New Colony, Thatichetlapalem and Akkayyapalem. Locals say the GVMC has failed in monitoring the contractors who have not taken proper steps to maintain public safety while the works are in progress. Besides, there is no lighting at the entire stretch of the road. Apart from the absence of street lights, the debris of the old divider has also created a problem for pedestrians and motorists. According to the residents, the contractors are not bothered about the safety of people.