Guntur: Zones for hazzle-free traffic

GUNTUR: The traffic in Guntur city, which is also the headquarter for Guntur district, largely increased creating difficulties to the public frequently. The public are asking for the regulation of traffic and at last the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) prepared an action plan to resolve the traffic snarls by creating Red Zones, Umber Zones and Vending Zones in traffic-hit areas of Guntur city.

The GMC conducted a survey with the help of community organisers in the city and found 1,800 street vendors engaged in various petty businesses and that these vendors are becoming traffic stoppers in the busy and prime locations. Already, the police department imposed one-way restrictions in the busy centres and now the GMC planning to implement Red Zone norms banning the vendors on the roads.

The street hawkers would be not allowed in the Red Zone areas. The vendors and hawkers would not be allowed from 5 am to 10 am and 6 pm to 10 pm in the Umber Zones. The hawkers and vendors can do their businesses in the Vending Zones without any restrictions.

The GMC is preparing detailed project report about Red, Umber and Vending Zones to issue identity cards to all identified vendors/hawkers and to implement the zones with the cooperation of the police department. The GMC conducted a meeting with Guntur traffic police who primarily accepted the GMC proposals about zones and other traffic restrictions.

Student P. Ravikanth said that the corporation office, market, Jinnah tower centre, Brodipeta and Arundelpeta are synonyms for traffic jams troubling the public. He said that half of the roads can be seen occupied by the vendors which is the main cause of the traffic problems. He said that for the past few months, visits by ministers and VIPs have increased in the city and it increased problems to the public. Welcoming the decision of GMC about implementing Zones, he sought strict implementation of the system to regulate the increasing traffic.