Visakhapatnam: Lockdown turns out to be a boon for locals

Visakhapatnam: While the outbreak of the pandemic and the consequent lockdown have impacted several lives across the world, those residing in Old Gopalapatnam heave a sigh of relief as the much-awaited limited height subway (LHS) is getting readied.

Old Gopalapatnam falls under 91st ward wherein 8,000 families reside in the area surrounded by railway tracks. Even to take the sick to hospital, the locals have to wait for 30 to 40 minutes to cross the railway line which will remain closed for about six to seven hours a day.

However, their four-decade long suffering comes to an end with the construction of the LHS. Since the stretch forms a part of the Howrah-Chennai main line, the long-pending proposal to build the LHS was put on hold for over forty years.

But, with passenger train services being suspended due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown, Railway authorities have reconsidered the proposal and commenced the work pertaining to the subway on Monday.

When the West constituency MLA P G V R Naidu (Gana Babu) approached the railway authorities in January, they mentioned that it would take a year to take up the subway work. "But lockdown turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the locals as the railway officials began the work related to the LHS when we approached them again. It would take less than a week for the locals to use the subway," said the MLA, who monitored the construction work for the past two days.

For those residing in the area, heading to their workplace in the morning is an ordeal they experience repeatedly. "Reaching our destination on time is a challenge as it largely depends on the railway gate opening. Thankfully, the situation will improve in the coming days for us," explains P. Nooka Raju, president of Old Gopalapatnam.

Following the lockdown, the railway officials and District Collector V Vinay Chand sanctioned permission to take up the subway work which is nearing completion. Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam MP M V V Satyanarayana along with YSRC leaders took stock of the work in progress.