Khammam Municipal Corporation master plan fails to address traffic woes

Khammam: The master plan of the Khammam Municipal Corporation has failed to address the increasing traffic problems in the town.

As a result, there is tension everyday at 14 locations in the town due to heavy traffic.

Arguments between traffic personnel and vehicle owners who are facing heavy penalties for parking their vehicles on roads are routine every day. K. Praveen, who paid Rs 1,000 in two months as penalty for parking his vehicle on the road said, “No commercial complex has a cellar to park vehicles. The complexes that have cellars allow only employees’ vehicles to be parked and do not allow customers. Traffic police should address it first.”

There are 1,12, 500 vehicles including 14,200 cars, 20,000 autos and 78,300 two-wheelers in the town. These vehicles ply on 517 kilometres of roads including 473 kilometres of KMC roads. There are cellars for parking only in ten per cent commercial complexes.

Khammam town has been registered as a fast development town and about 140 business establishments like D-Mart, Chennai Shopping Mall, Tanishq, Joyalukkas and Vishal Supermarket have set up shop. Interestingly, the customers, who are coming to Vishal Supermarket located on the Bypass Road are parking vehicles on the road leading to Traffic jams often.

There are no parking projects in the limits of KMC and the new plan should make it mandatory for real estate developers or builders to build parking lots in basements or ground floor so that the lanes are not choked with parked vehicles, said a traffic expert.

He added that though it was costly, it was imperative for developers and owners of commercial complexes to provide parking space in keeping with the customers’ demands.

A resident said, the traffic police should submit their plan to the KMC town planning wing and suggest ideas to address traffic problems.

The 14 spots in Khammam where traffic is a nightmare include Nayabazar, Kaspabazar, Bommana Centre, Station Road, KMC Circle, Bus Stand, Mayuri Centre, Rythu Bazar, Old LIC office, Church Compound, and Rythu Bazar.

N. Prasad, a teacher said, “If the KMC does not taken some measures in its master plan for parking projects, the people of KMC will face a menace in the future.”