Tirupati: Row over SVU master plan roads ends amicably

Tirupati: Now, it is official. The row over the master plan roads proposed through Sri Venkateswara University (SVU) was resolved with political parties, student unions and university employees consenting to the modified proposal, said Corporation Deputy Mayor Bhumana Abhinay Reddy.

Addressing a media conference along with his party corporators here on Sunday, the YSRCP youth leader Abhinay said that he reached out to all the concerned including the leaders of political parties, students associations and employees unions and explained the modifications made in the proposed master plan roads so as to not affect the university.

They have all approved to the new proposal of the Corporation clearing the decks for two roads against the originally proposed three, Reddy said informing that the municipal council will meet on Tuesday to approve the detailed proposal including estimation after which the works on the master plan roads linking the Tirupati-Chittoor road with Zoo park road aimed to decongest the Alipiri road in the city would commence.

The Deputy Mayor said along with officials, the corporators also held a meeting exclusively with university officials on Saturday on the master plan roads to dispel their apprehension to get their approval for the roads.

“During the discussion, they brought several issues including augmenting drinking water supply, UDS (underground drainage system), improving greenery etc. to which we agreed to resolve with Corporation funds and also construct the few buildings that have to be removed for the roads,” Abhinay said.

The three SVU master plan roads proposed by the corporation through the university triggered strong protests from all sections which ultimately saw the Corporation reconsidering the proposal and decided to lay only 2 roads and also changed the alignment, requiring only a minimum of university land.

Answering a question, he said the Corporation in all, approved 18 master plan roads in which 9 were completed and the remaining will take two years for completion. “After the elected council took over the Corporation administration, it decided to take up the master plan roads on a massive scale which was unprecedented, with its own funds, with the sole aim of decongest the pilgrim city and also keeping in view future development of the city,’’ he said claiming that nowhere in the state such a number of development works going on in any municipal town.

To a question, he said that he had not approached TDP as it was in previous TDP regime the roads were proposed. Deputy Mayor Mudra Narayana, Corporators SK Babu, Narasimhachari, Laddu Bhaskar, Rajesh and others were present.