Commuters face untold hardships in Vijayawada

​Vijayawada: The ride from Gollapudi to the city by taking a detour unfolds a tale of traffic woes fraught with untold miseries, trauma and nightmare, courtesy the pending flyover project at Kanaka Durga temple.

The journey really tests the patience of residents of Gollapudi, Bhavanipuram, Vidyadharapuram and Jakkampudi Housing colony.

Around 2 lakh people out of the city’s total population of 12 lakh are from these townships located on the western side of the city and they feel cut off from the mainstream life ever since the traffic diversion began about one-and-a-half years ago to facilitate flyover construction works.

Visiting the city for these people is a bread and butter issue and office-goers, college students, shop employees and workers engaged in automobile sheds in Autonagar have to frequent the city every day by all means of transport.

The journey time increased three times on the diverted route. It was just a 15-minute drive from Gollapudi to bus stand for a distance of 4 km via Vidyadharapuram and Bhavanripuram before the traffic diversion was imposed.

It will now take not less than an hour to reach the destination by passing through the narrow road from Sitara Junction and Panja centre amidst traffic bottlenecks, says a private employee.

The road from Gollapudi to the police control room presents a picture of unending traffic with vehicles moving at a snail’s pace weathering frequent jams.

The city’s traffic woes were compounded after its upgradation as State capital, marked by an influx of people from outside and a spurt in vehicles of all sorts. But the roads in terms of width remained the same for several years.

Since the launch of Durga temple flyover works, traffic restrictions came into effect on National Highway No 9. All the vehicles entering the city from Hyderabad side are being diverted at Gollapudi itself. From Gollapudi, the vehicles have to cover Sitara Centre, Kabela, Milk Factory, Chittinagar, KBN College, Fish Market, Wynchpet and East Railway Gate to reach Kaleswara Rao Market.

In the opposite direction, the vehicles heading towards Vidyadharapuram, Bhavanipuram, HB Colony, Gollapudi, Ibrahimpatnam (Adda Road), Kondapalli and Hyderabad should take a diversion at Kaleswara Rao Market to halt at Head Post Office, Bodemma Hotel, Panja, Fish Market, KBN College, Chittinagar, Tunnel, Sitara Centre, HB Colony and Gollapudi.

The commuters are finding it difficult to pass through the narrow roads at Sitara, Chittinagar, Anjaneya Vagu, KBN College, Fish Market and Panja Centre. They are subjected to severe inconvenience with ever increasing traffic. Life for people here turns more miserable during the festival days as the traffic jams will become a round-the-clock affair.

There appears no end to the traffic woes of the locals as the flyover project misses the deadline. Official sources in the Roads and Buildings Department say it may take another year to let the flyover be thrown open to the public.

By: Noor Shaik