Vijayawada: Daily traffic congestion on the Vijayawada–Nuzvid State Highway at Nunna village of Vijayawada Rural mandal in NTR district has become a major concern for residents, commuters, and students. Despite the availability of alternative routes, heavy goods vehicles, lorries, tractors with brick loads, private college buses, and long-distance transport vehicles continue to pass through the village, causing frequent and prolonged traffic jams.

Nunna, one of the major Gram Panchayats in the district with a population exceeding 30,000, faces acute problems due to the narrow stretch of the State Highway passing through its core area. From the Gram Panchayat Office to the Mother Teresa Old Age Home on the village outskirts, the road is extremely narrow as it passes through Gramakantam land, with buildings constructed very close to the carriageway. In several stretches, even two-wheelers find it difficult to pass when vehicles approach from opposite directions.

To address this issue, the state government constructed a local bypass in 2010 at a cost of Rs 10.50 crore, connecting the Vijayawada - Nuzvid State Highway from Mango Market to Ramachandrapalem Cross Road, avoiding the village entirely.

In addition, the NH-16 bypass from China Avutapalli to Gollapudi is now operational, enabling vehicles to access the Nunna bypass and proceed towards Nuzvid. However, heavy vehicles continue to ignore these routes and pass through the village, worsening congestion. The situation has further deteriorated due to the expansion of Nunna and the increasing population.

Traffic is particularly congested between the Gram Panchayat Office and Kotakatta Centre near the State Bank of India, where jams occur multiple times a day.

The presence of engineering college buses from Surampalli, Madalavarigudem, Agiripalli, and surrounding areas adds to the traffic burden. Additionally, the government has established a Private Vehicle Checking Point at Nunna, which attracts many goods carriers and heavy vehicles coming to this office, contributing to further traffic congestion.

Residents allege that the lack of traffic police enforcement is a key reason for the problem.

For the past 12 years, they have been voicing their concerns to R & B officials, people's representatives, and others, but without any results. "Our village is gradually growing, and it is very close to Vijayawada. As a result, many colonies are being developed in this region.

The government is also constructing a colony in the village.

Consequently, the number of residents is increasing, and proportionately, so is the number of vehicles," local citizens stated. Muppavarapu Srinivas Reddy, a local resident, urged authorities to install barricades and deploy temporary police personnel at Power Grid and Ramachandrapalem Cross Road to divert heavy vehicles via the local bypass. He warned that without strict enforcement, daily life in Nunna will continue to be disrupted, severely affecting students and the general public.