Visakhapatnam: Development eludes Old Madhavadhara for long

Visakhapatnam: Development continues to elude Old Madhavadhara, a colony that is over five decades old in Visakhapatnam.

It has been more than 20 years since the colony roads and drains were constructed. However, over a period of time, their maintenance has gone for a toss.

Dotted with thatched huts and sheds once upon a time, the neighbourhood now has more migrants from various destinations. It has now become a home for many communities who have come from faraway places to earn a livelihood.

Though there is no dedicated Residents' Welfare Association for years, Sai Madhava Yuvajana Samajam (association) used to cater to the needs of the issues and resolved them by bringing them to the notice of the officials concerned.

The colony people ensure that the issues related to the neighbourhood are brought to the notice of the ward corporator and constituency MLA.

In recent times, Visakha Apartment Residents Welfare Association (VARWA) NIVAS (Greater Visakha Residential Colony Associations Federation) is focusing on resolving the problems faced by the residents. "Roads and drains were built decades before. Owing to age and lack of maintenance has certainly affected the sanitation to a large extent. Maintaining sanitation in the colony has become a big challenge in the neighbourhood which has grown over the years," says Narkimalli Prakasha Rao, president of the VARWA NIVAS.

The roads have been dug up for facilitating water supply and pipelines. "Earlier, the roads were covered partly after the completion of the UGD works. This is causing inconvenience to the commuters as the roads were either dug up or partly covered. Drains remain clogged for days and they have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes," says Sanapala Sravan Kumar, a resident of Old Madhavadhara.

A road passes through the 48-A bus route and connects NH-16. Since there is a heavy flow of vehicles passing through this particular stretch, residents here demand the officials to take up repair works for this particular road at least so that commuters can travel safe.