Vijayawada: Traffic woes rankle Balaji Nagar residents

Vijayawada: Encroachment of service roads is troubling the residents of Balaji Nagar, a small colony located between Krishna River Karakatta and Krishna Lanka highway. The colony residents face problems due to parking of trucks, auto rikshaws, tractors and other vehicles on service road. Several families depended on transport sector and Auto Nagar settled in the colony for the past few decades. The truck drivers and truck owners park their vehicles on the road causing inconvenience to other commuters.

The colony residents don't have direct road access to MG Road and Krishna Lanka. Police have set up barricades near Ranigari Thota on the highway to prevent road accidents. Consequently, Balaji Nagar residents have to take a U turn to reach the colony from MG Road or Krishna Lanka. It causes waste of time and fuel, they lamented.

Earlier, the colony faced problem of inundation during Krishna floods. But the construction of retaining wall has changed the colony. Hundreds of families settled in the last three decades and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) laid roads and developed other infrastructure facilities like street lighting, underground drainage etc.

Compared to other parts of the city, the colony is cool in summer also due to its location very near to Krishna river and trees grown by the colony residents.

Commercial activity also increased in the colony in recent years with setting up of shops along the national highway service road.