Traffic jam has become a regular feature at the Manapuram railway gate of Vizianagaram district due to delay in completion of road development works on Visakhapatnam-Raipur national highway. The drivers, who used to wait at the railway gate for at least 20 minutes, are now being forced to wait at least half an hour to cross it with the little space being available for regular movement of vehicles.
Normally, the travel time is hardly one hour between Vizianagaram and Bobbili but now it takes at least one-and-a-half hours. Some times, it goes up to two hours with the frequent breakdown of vehicles at the gate. Space constraint, closing of the gates at regular intervals and breakdown of vehicles, are causing problems.
The Police Department is struggling a lot to remove those broken-down vehicles from the spot. The cops used an earthmover to remove a broken-down lorry from the railway gate on Sunday.
Such incidents which are often reported are testing the patience of the vehicle drivers. The local police personnel brought the issue to the notice of Vizianagaram Superintendent of Police M. Deepika who in turn requested the highway authorities to make temporary arrangements for the smooth flow of traffic till completion of the works.
“Fuel expenditure is also going up significantly with the traffic snarls as vehicular movement is very slow even after the railway gates are lifted,” said G. Madhavarao, a lorry driver.
“The railway and the national highway authorities should complete the works as early as possible. Ambulances are also stranded in the traffic jam in the route,” said K. Dayanand, Aam Admi Party’s State spokesperson and in-charge of Vizianagaram district.
