Date:05/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/05/stories/2009070559490300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Guntur

SP moves to solve traffic problem

Special Correspondent

All stakeholders will be involved, says Shankha Brata Bagchi

GUNTUR: Guntur SP Shankha Brata Bagchi has taken the initiative to resolve the traffic problem in all municipal towns of Guntur district by streamlining parking, identifying vendor zones and talking to all stakeholders in the towns and municipal authorities.

A beginning has been made in Piduguralla town that has a narrow main road, which is also the State Highway connecting Guntur and Addanki with Hyderabad via Narketpally.

This process would be taken up in all towns of the district, he said.

The police department, along with the Pidiguralla Municipality, held a meeting with local prominent citizens and rate-payers’ associations, business community to ensure the road was not encroached upon and free flow of heavy traffic was maintained, said Mr. Bagchi.

Keeping Maoists and factionists at bay was the priority, but in the day-to-day functioning traffic was most important aspect that needed immediate attention, he opined.

“We have decided to meet sometime next week to study the problems in Guntur city to arrive at a tangible solution, for which the assistance of experts will be taken,” he observed.

Soon, the city would get a police commissionerate, and by then if the basic traffic problem remained unresolved it would paint a grim picture, he added.

Guntur Municipal Corporation got a traffic study done, which would be referred to along with the one done by the Guntur police through Director of Andhra University Institute of Transport Management D. Panduranga Rao.

The former Guntur SP V.C. Sajjannar got the study done, but by the time it could be implemented, he was transferred.