Visakhapatnam: Unauthorised parking worries colony people

Visakhapatnam: From the petrol bunk arch to Sukanya Theatre, Narasimha Nagar is spread broadly over four lanes at Gopalapatnam.

While BRTS road is located at one side of the colony, a part of the Indira Nagar road borders the other side.

As the neighbourhood is located amidst the busiest junction, most of the streets in Narasimha Nagar get chock-a-block with unauthorised parking.

The main road here dots with a host of commercial outlets and those frequenting them find Narasimha Nagar a convenient place to park their vehicles. As a result, vehicles are parked right in front of the houses, causing inconvenience to the residents.

In addition, sanitation takes a hit in the colony due to shortage of staff and lack of maintenance. Roads and drains have become obsolete as well. Though repair works have been taken up recently in some of the stretches of the colony, the rest needs larger attention.

A well located in the colony is in a bad condition. "Since it is the source of groundwater for those living around the area and acts as a rainwater harvesting pit, it needs to be maintained properly," says G Srinivas, secretary of the residents welfare association (RWA).

Improper construction of the drain that runs along the BRTS road leads to overflowing of sewage during monsoon time. "Even if it rains for a few minutes, the drain overflows, permeating an unbearable stink. The drain needs to be reconstructed so that we can be saved from unhygienic drainwater flowing along the roads," says P Bhagat, president of the RWA. Another issue brought out by the colony people is unauthorised parking.

"There is an immediate requirement for dedicated parking space as many commercial units are operated in the neighbourhood. By allotting a parking space, traffic can be streamlined far better," opines P Satish Kumar, who runs a commercial outlet in the colony.