Visakhapatnam: Motorists in Vizag city are expressing their displeasure over the frequent traffic jams and blocking of the roads for VIP movements, rallies, protest marches and road shows. VIP movements and lack of parking space add to the woes of commuters who get stuck in the snarl-ups. The shortage of cops in the traffic police wing was one of the reasons why regulation of traffic is a major challenge during major events in the city.
Restricting traffic for VIP movement is a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution, says senior advocate K. Muralidhar. There is a security protocol for the Prime Minister, President and a few others. But, the police have been blocking vehicular traffic for MLAs, MPs and ministers, he added.
ADCP (Traffic) K. Mahendra Patrudu said that Vizag has been hosting major events for the past few years and VIP visits have increased. We can’t avoid VIP movements on main roads and we also can’t divert commuters due to lack of proper alternative roads in the city.
No doubt, regulation of vehicular traffic is a major challenge for the cops in Vizag as the number of vehicles is growing and has touched over 12 lakh in Vizag although roads and infrastructure remain the same, he added. The NH-16 stretch between Hanumanthawaka and Madhurawada was blocked recently during the ODI match on Sunday.
Similarly, the police imposed several restrictions on the beach road for various events over the past one year by ignoring people’s interests a student of Andhra University. To ensure smooth VIP movements, the city police have been ignoring the norms and blocking the roads. The cops have to find out a solution otherwise they will feel the heat of the problem in the coming days said G Sunil Kumar, a software professional.
