Civic issues haunt Rajivnagar Colony

Visakhapatnam: A walk down the Pithapuram Colony towards Pedawaltair leads to Rajivnagar, a colony tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Once covered with mango orchards and paddy fields, the colony is presently a home for many affluent as well as the underprivileged people. However, regardless of the pride and prestige attached to the surrounding colonies, many civic issues are haunting Rajivnagar colony and giving a tough time to the residents. The col-ony, which comprises of nearly 10,000 people, is surrounded by Pithapuram Colony, Mangapu-ram Colony and Doctors’ Colony.

D. Ananatha Rao, a retired government emp-loyee, remembered the transformation of the colony.

“Earlier water from the storm water drain used to inundate the colony, in which three children of the locality got washed away. But construction of a reservoir to harvest rainwater in Andhra University had helped the colony avoid the problem. Development within the colony wasn’t at par with the neighbouring colonies. The roads were in bad shape and sanitation was not at its best. People from all walks of life form the population of the colo-ny,” said Mr Anantha Rao.

Other than having a community hall, the colony does not possess much social infrastructure such as educational institutions or other amenities. Some roads in the colony, which spread into three major lanes, were also damaged.

S. Appala Naidu, an Andhra University employee, said that they could count the number of households on fingers in the 1980s.

“The colony was in existence even before many residential areas sprang up in the locality. Once there was an affinity between the residents and a village-like environment in the colony. We used to organise every festival and occasion on a grand scale. But now leading busy lives, everyone is a stranger to the other,” he rued. Some residents also complained about illegal parking of the vehicles in the middle of the road, giving a tough time to the others.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a youth group of the colony rued about the civic issues in the colony.