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Traffic snarls in Visakhapatnam
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation officials are biding their time while the city traffic is going haywire due to malfunctioning of traffic signals damaged by the October 12 Hudhud cyclone. The Corporation has entered into an MoU with a private operator Star Power Agency for installing 94 traffic lights fitted with closed circuit cameras on build-operate- transfer (BOT) basis.
GVMC delaying installation of traffic signals
Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation officials are biding their time while the city traffic is going haywire due to malfunctioning of traffic signals damaged by the October 12 Hudhud cyclone. The Corporation has entered into an MoU with a private operator Star Power Agency for installing 94 traffic lights fitted with closed circuit cameras on build-operate- transfer (BOT) basis. As per the agreement, the agency is take up works at 53 points. Though a formal work order was not given, the agency went ahead with installation at the request of the senior police officials.
They installed signals at 68 places identified by the GVMC but all of them were destroyed in the Hudhud cyclone. The agency restored 36 points but they too began malfunctioning. Traffic police officials said it was typical case of red tape. The officials are sitting on the files without issuing work order and release the money to contractor. The city traffic has become chaotic because of either malfunctioning of signals or absence of them at certain points.
Traffic police personnel are deployed at major junctions, like Siripuram, VIP Road, Rama Talkies, Maddilapalem, Gurdwara, etc, to regulate traffic. There are traffic snarl-up at busy centres like Asilmetta, Dwarakanagar and NAD. “We have invested an amount of Rs 9 crore to install traffic signals. But cyclone had damaged equipment worth Rs 6 crore.
The government has given packages to all departments but not to traffic as such the project got delayed for few months,” said Stan Power Agency Director T Prakash. He also said they had apprised Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu of the issue. “The GVMC has conducted a survey two days back and will finalise the issue within three days after which we will begin installing the signal lights and CC cameras in the city soon,’’ he added.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) K Mahendra Patrudu told this correspondent that in addition to the MoU, he also proposed more signals and CC cameras at Vuda Park, MVP junctions, BRTS roads and industrial areas where they are chances of accidents happening during midnight. He also said that BRTS road has 20 signal lights working through mechanical system which would also be soon synchronised with other solar signal lights.
By:Sri Lakshmi Muttevi
