Andhra Pradesh

Parking blues

Space for parking of vehicles on the city roads continues to be a problem and even as authorities concerned fail to solve the problem, residents and shopkeepers of some multi-storied buildings are creating more trouble while ensuring that entry and exit of their buildings is not blocked.

One such problem is encountered on the road from Aseelmetta to Siripuram junction. The road has been widened at a huge cost and both sides of the roads have been allotted for parking. Not to allow the cars to take more space on the road, the police put a rule that the four-wheelers should be parked parallel to the pavement. But this is not possible in front of a multi-storied shopping-cum-residential complex opposite to a church on the road, which is very near to the Municipal Commissioner’s bunglow.

Here big stones have been placed on either side of entrance to the building to ensure that vehicles are not parked in front of the entrance. This might be a good idea on the part of the residents of this building but no car can be parked parallel to the footpath as it can not move parallel to the footpath for a few yards before being parked as the rows of stones come in the way. Thus space to park at least a couple of cars on the either side of this ‘pathway’ is going waste.

Visakhapatnam has graduated into a metropolis. IT majors have opened shop in the city and pubs have sprung up to meet the changing lifestyles of the people. “It’s high time the ‘peace-loving’ people stopped believing strangers. An old woman, who used to regularly visit the Lalitha Devi temple at Lalitha Nagar was murdered and her gold ornaments were stolen. She believed a stranger who befriended her at the temple,” said Police Commissioner N. Sambasiva Rao. Motorcycle thefts and chain snatchings are also on the rise in the city. Last year 7,527 crime cases have been registered. On an average there is an increase of about 200 cases annually. It is no longer safe to flaunt your jewellery.

The delegates to an international symposium on human genetics at Andhra University had a tough time on their day of arrival on Monday. Those who were accommodated at the Golden Jubilee guesthouse were deprived of hot water bath for warming up their spirit on a rainy day. The reason: The guest house has geysers working on solar energy and it failed to work as the people of Visakhapatnam couldn’t see the sun for past few days due to inclement weather. When events of such kind are hosted, the organisers should also think about making alternate arrangements to keep the delegates in good humour in such situations.

The 80-ft road running from Seethammadhara North Extension Layout on the east to Madhavadhara in the west via the backside of the Port Stadium area, notwithstanding its poor condition, is used by many as it helps avoid the busy National Highway No. 5 for those going towards Madhavadhara area. But of late, it also cannot be said to be free of danger. While many use the strip for learning driving on four wheelers and two-wheelers during the day, local youth in inebriated condition stop the travellers for the fun of it, threaten them and let them go only after riding rough shod on them. The police should come to the rescue of the public by deploying beat constables and regular patrol vehicles to book the rowdy elements.

Song and dance have become effective vehicles for spreading any idea. Even during the freedom struggle apart from inspiring speeches by leaders, songs like “Maakoddee Thelladoratanam… “ had stirred masses to throw themselves headlong into the fight against colonial powers. The TTD has taken up the laudable programme of “Kalyanamastu,” to perform free, mass marriages. To motivate young couples and also drive home the message, a few songs were presented. Young children danced to the folk and traditional songs and captivated everyone’s attention. The dances followed an awareness programme in which TTD Chairman Bhoomana Karunakar Reddy, Executive Officer K.V. Ramanachary and Commercial Taxes Minister Konathala Ramakrishna and MLAs participated. Such efforts will go a long way in promoting the concept of mass marriages in the traditional manner.

(G. Narasimha Rao, B. Madhu Gopal, Santosh Patnaik, Prabhakkar Sharma and G.V. Prasada Sarma)

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