Vijayawada: YSR Colony cries for attention

Vijayawada: Thousands of people living in YSR Colony in Jakkampudi on the outskirts of Vijayawada are suffering many hardships due to lockdown and lack of work. The colony was formed nearly 10 years ago has population of more than 40,000.

The colony has been cut off from the rest of the city for more than two weeks and the colony residents are not able to come into city to purchase provisions and other essentials due to the police restrictions and cancellation of public transport like RTC buses and auto-rikshaws.

The police are giving only three hours relaxation to go into the city and come back to the colony. But, there are long queue lines at the provision shops and supermarkets in Vijayawada city and they are not able to return to the colony in three hours.

The residents are requesting the district administration or VMC to operate mobile vegetable markets in RTC buses so that the colony residents can buy veggies within the colony without going outside into the city. It may also help them to maintain social distance and check the spread of Corona virus.

Most of the colony residents are poor and middle class and they were shifted from various parts of the city. Under the JNNURM scheme, 8000 houses were built on the outskirts of the city and it was named as YSR Colony. Since the colony is located on the outskirts, NGOs and donors are not going to the colony to distribute rice, vegetables, food and other essentials.

On the other hand, government departments, police, NGOs, charitable organisations, civil society organisation, political parties, political leaders are giving assistance and distributing rice, vegetables, fruits and essentials to a large number of people in Vijayawada city.

The police restrictions are a biggest problem to the colony residents, says K Balu. He is a painter and has no work for two weeks. "I don't have work and I cannot run my family when I don't earn money," he lamented.

He said the colony residents have to depend on the markets and shops in Vijayawada for many essential products. He has requested the police authorities to give at least five hours relation so that they can go to city to buy provisions and other essentials.

Many colony residents don't have white ration cards and not able to get rice and red gram being distributed the State government free of cost.

Shaik Parvin, a resident of YSR Colony, says, "The government should supply rice and vegetables for some days to the poor families because they are not in a position to go to work due to lockdown."

"I work in a hotel and my husband is a construction worker and we don't have work now and how can we buy essentials," she questioned. Another resident K Prasad says, "My family is suffering due to sudden announcement of lockdown. I was not at home when lockdown was announced otherwise I could have managed to keep some money for future needs," he lamented. Prasad adds, "Now nobody is ready to give hand loan to meet urgent needs."

He has demanded that the government should give assistance to the poor families, who don't have white ration card holders and VMC to operate RTC buses to supply vegetables.

He pointed out that majority residents of the colony were daily wage workers and NGOs should help them by supplying food and essential commodities. They don't have two-wheelers and have to depend on the RTC buses and auto-rickshaws to go to Vijayawada city.

With the cancellation of public transport, thousands of residents were staying at home but the future looks bleak as they don't have work. Municipal Commissioner Prasanna Venkatesh responded to the hardships of the YSR Colony residents and announced on Thursday that mobile vegetable market will be arranged to supply vegetables and essentials for sale in the colony.

He said that he would speak to the Marketing Department to set up a Rythu Bazaar for the convenience of the colony residents.