Visakhapatnam: Traffic curbs anger residents

Visakhapatnam: Many people have shown resentment over the private events held on the beach road, resulting in traffic restrictions and diversions, especially on weekends. After receiving numerous grievances from the public against the traffic restrictions on the beach road on Sunday due to audio release of the movie Rangasthalam, Visakhapatnam (South) MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar has written to the Commissioner of Police and to the district administration to not allow such private events on weekends when thousands of people with their families hit the beach road and nearby areas on weekends to spend their evenings.

“I received a number of complaints from the public on March 18 stating that the beach road was blocked and public access to the beach, where the arrangements for the audio release event were being put up, was denied for three days prior to the event. Many people from different parts of the city and tourists who visited the beach with a lot of enthusiasm had to find the restrictions blocking them and return disappointed,” said the MLA.

“Had the district administration taken measures, public would not have suffered for the last three days. I urge the administration to keep the public interest first while according permission to such private programmes of celebrities in future,” he said suggesting that no big public events be allowed on the beach road at weekends to ensure unrestricted access to public and tourists. The residents staying along the beach road have also been complaining of the traffic restrictions owing to various events. People have to take long routes due to traffic diversions.