The Hindu 24.07.2009
Guntur Municipal Corporation to take up road widening
Special Correspondent
| Massive greening project on the anvil |
GUNTUR: Guntur Municipal Corporation will take up clearing up of all encroachments by road side very soon to take up a project of constructing footpaths with the financial assistance of Vijayawada Guntur Mangalagiri Tenali Urban Development Authority with a Rs.5 crore layout.
This project will help the Corporation provide better carriageway for vehicles and a space for pedestrians to walk on main roads or bylanes in the city, said Municipal Commissioner K. Illambarthi. Talking to The Hindu, he hoped to launch the project some time in August and similarly on agenda was widening at least three major roads in Guntur. Butchaiahthota first lane, which was pending for widening would be taken up within 10 days, with the Indian Railways providing some land for accomplishing this task. The Railways had constructed a new wall within its land proposes to take away debris of the old wall to pave way for the GMC contractors to lay a widened road. This would provide a better connectivity to Vijayawada approach road from the city. Two other roads to be widened immediately are Srinivasa Kalyana Mandapam Road from Bus stand and JKC College Road to 80 feet.
The JKC College road widening works would be taken up with 75 per cent finance from the VGTMUDA as it connects the proposed Outer Ring Road of the Urban Development Authority to lead to Autonagar. In the next five days the GMC proposes to take up a massive city greening project by involving the stake holders, creating user communities, seedlings supplied by the AP Social Forestry Corporation. About 1.15 lakh saplings would be planted in all amenable/conducive areas and the Social Forestry people in association with user communities would look after the protection and growth of saplings for three years.
Drinking water
All possible efforts were being made to bring Guntur under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and it could be reality very soon with Warangal also likely to get the nod for implementing the projects under this scheme. Meanwhile, over Rs.600 crore would flow into Guntur Municipal corporation under the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) by October for drinking water and underground drainage schemes to be implemented with the help of World Bank.
The NHAI had begun the land acquisition process for laying the second water pipeline from Guntur Channel to Thakellapadu, the Commissioner added.