TIRUPATI: Residents of Vanadurgapuram in undivided Chittoor district are finally rejoicing over approval of a road through a forest to reach Palasamudram, their mandal headquarters. The three-kilometre road, once laid, will mean they will no longer have to travel 18 kilometres through Tamil Nadu for Palasamudram for their various works.
Vanadurgapuram residents have been demanding the road through the forest for more than 50 years. But the Forest (Conservation) Act prohibited laying of the road. Finally, Deputy Chief Minister K. Narayanaswamy, who represents G.D. Nellore constituency, brought the hitch to the attention of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Following the CM’s intervention, provisions in the Forest Act have been amended. Following this, the forest department has permitted construction of the road through the forest area. Said Narayanaswamy, "The issue has been pending since formation of Andhra Pradesh. We have now obtained permission to upgrade the earthen road into a bitumen (BT) road.”
The Chief Minister intervention has meant sanction of not just the Vanadurgapuram-Palasamudram stretch through the forest. Other road projects too have been cleared through the forest. They are a 600-metre stretch BT road connecting Kamma Kandriga to Chittoor-Puttur state highway in Sri Rangarajapuram mandal, a 1.20-kilometre road linking Hamsapuri and T.V.N.R. Puram ghat road, and a 6.95-kilometre stretch from Jakkidona to Muttalam in Vedurukuppam mandal.
Deputy CM Narayanaswamy said formation of these bitumen roads will bring about significant change and development in G.D. Nellore Assembly constituency. They will improve the lives of residents and bolster the local economy.
“With the long-awaited approvals received, residents of these villages can finally look forward to a shorter and more convenient journey to their mandal headquarters,” he remarked.
