Prakasam Barrage, no more a place to spend leisure time

The sight of barrage crowded with people at each pillar or a family and gang of friends posing for pictures was quite common. Things have now changed

One can no longer enjoy standing by the pillars on the Prakasam Barrage looking up at the sky and feel the might of the water body with a hot snack in hand. What with the road being used by the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to travel to his home, the Barrage is forbidden to the common people.

Consequently, what was once an attractive place with visitors moving around almost all night now wears a deserted look. Kande Lavanya, a citizen speaking to The Hans India says, “We used to come along with family almost twice to thrice in a week.

The Barrage served as the no expenditure outing for thousands of people who live in the city. It would be fine if it can be mentioned as our “Tank Bund”. The absence of activity at the barrage is a sight of dismay.”

In addition, many vendors who pull up their carts to the barrage to cater to the visitors are robbed off an opportunity as well. “We used to have two push carts that offer chat variety at the barrage.

It is about six months that the activity is completely contained. We shifted our place nearby the museum at the temple. It is difficult for people like us, who depend on daily business but obviously there is no other alternative to it,” says Venu Kumar Pasam, a vendor.

Prakasam Barrage is a place which not only holds the history of Bezawada by its name, but is also touted to be the unanimously approved symbol to reflect the city. It is not an exaggeration to mention that with the construction of the Prakasam Barrage, the Krishna delta became the most useful fertile valley. Given its importance and by mere existence, it emerged as the main attraction for the citizens as well as the tourists.

The sight of barrage crowded with people was quite common. But now, since there are restrictions imposed over spending time at the barrage, the road turn empty by 8 pm everyday and one can nowhere find the push carts nearby to it. Definitely, Prakasam Barrage is one among other flexibility that the citizens were deprived of due to the shuttle of political activity.