Nellore: Statues of freedom fighters and political leaders of yesteryear and jumbo traffic islands developed around them have become a big hindrance for free flow of traffic in Nellore city. Almost every junction in the city is dotted with the statues of one leader or other.
Though the civic body reduced the size of one or two traffic islands following public outcry last year, the others continue to create nuisance to the road users.
In fact motorists are forced to take a detour to approach Muthukur Road because of the huge island around statue of a political leader has become an obstruction for direct approach to the road. The case is almost same with respect to the statue of Sri Potti Sri Ramulu at Atmakur bus stand.
Interestingly the traffic advisory board has been raising a hue and cry on the issue since a longtime but the civic body had not initiated any action because of political reasons.
One among the resolutions in the traffic advisory board meeting held in August 2014 was to reduce the height and size of traffic islands causing inconvenience to the motorists, shifting of electric transformers located on roads and insta-lling traffic signals.
In fact, the height of the traffic islands near Current Office, Vedayapalem and Annama-yya circle junctions blocks the view of the drivers with regard to vehicles taking a turn from other side.
This has been leading to frequent accidents at these junctions since a longtime. Two years after the resolution on the issue, Nellore Municipal Corporation, trimmed the size of traffic islands at Madras Bus Stand and Gandhi Statue last year and suspended the activity.
Lamenting over the laxity of NMC, Traffic advisory board member Anam Venkata Krishna Reddy appealed to the authorities to reduce the height and size of traffic islands at V.R. College Centre, KVR Petrol bunk (Magunta statue) and Ramalinigapuram junction (Anam Venkata Reddy statue) immediately and allow vehicle flow directly from Ramalinigapuram to Muthukur Road by using the existing traffic signals.
He advised the NMC to take traffic island around Bezawada Gopal Reddy statue as a model since it is not causing any hassles to the road users unlike other traffic islands.
He has also underlined the need to remove encroachments on the main thoroughfares while pointing to resolution passed in August 2014.
