Vijayawada: Chandrababu Naidu's surprise visit puts commuters to trouble

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu made a surprise visit to Gurunanak Colony, Fun Time Club Road and Benz Circle in Vijayawada on Saturday. He also inspected the road works at NAC Kalyana Mandapam. The surprise visit of the Chief Minister caused inconvenience to the commuters travelling on the route. They were forced to stay put on the roads for double the amount of time, when compared to the time it would take to reach their destinations on a normal day.

A commuter got stuck up at Benz Circle on the highway and it took 45 minutes, on a bike, to reach Poranki, which is less than 7 km from that place. The waiting time has been even more for those coming from the MG Road as the traffic got jammed for 1.5 km. Those travelling on four-wheelers and in buses also faced problem to get through the traffic. As all the junctions were closed till the Chief Minister left, vehicles from three directions have been stalled at Benz Circle and NTR Circle. This resulted in a congestion and the police had to streamline the traffic in a sequential manner. All he junctions along the way, right from Mogalrajapuram Junction on M G Road till Kanuru on Bandar Road, were jammed completely.

Trucks and heavy vehicles were stopped on national highway on the Benz Circle. A similar situation was observed at all other junctions on Bandar Road and on the north side of the national highway. It took nearly one-and-a-half hour for the police to ease the congestion and streamline the traffic completely. The Chief Minister inspected the drip irrigation system being organised for rose plants on the Fun Time Club road. Later, he painted the divider at the Benz Circle, along with the students. He also visited a sweet shop on Bandar Road and checked the progress of the cashless transactions initiative.

Speaking to the mediapersons, Mr Naidu said he was taking all  necessary measures to make Vijayawada a dust-free city. He said about 6,000 varieties of plants would be planted along the prime highways, as part of beautification works. "If three canals are developed in Vijayawada city, it would become one of the best cities in the country," he said. Mr Naidu also mentioned that the state government would provide subsidy of Rs 1,000 for each biometric system installed, against its market price of Rs 2,000.