Prakasam district seeks close to ₹60 crore for road repair works

Prakasam district faces road damage issues due to rains, prompting officials to speed up repair works.

People of Prakasam district are facing problems to travel on roads that have been damaged due to rains and poor maintenance. With the continuous rainfall, the condition of the roads have turned from bad to worse in many parts of the district, particularly in the rural areas. The commuters are experiencing bumpy rides in the villages, causing inconvenience to women and elderly persons.

Many villagers have complained about the potholes and incomplete roadworks during the Praja Samasyala Parishkara Vedika. Prakasam District Collector A. Thameem Ansaria along with Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department officials inspected the damaged stretch of Ongole-Kurnool road at Budawada and Thatichetlapalem villages in Chimakurthi mandal on Tuesday morning.

She directed the R&B officials to take steps to speed up the repair work on this stretch, which is one of the main roads connecting the district. R&B Superintending Engineer K. Devanandam explained, “As the road was built at a low level, it needs to be levelled to about two feet higher. Proposals have already been sent to the government for the repair works worth ₹1.70 crore.”

Speaking to The Hindu, he said, “About ₹59.22 crore is required for the high-priority road repair works across the district. Only five roadworks were completed out of the total 13 projects spanning a length of 248.53 km in the district with the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). The works of the remaining eight roads are in progress. The department is waiting for the release of the funds.”

The District Collector recently inspected the bridge built on Buckingham Canal on Kothapatnam road. Last year, the government had approved ₹20.57 crore to resume construction of this high-level bridge. Though the bridge work was completed, the safety wall has not yet been built as the contractor is waiting for the release of a balance amount of ₹9 crore.

Ms. Ansaria directed the R&B officials to complete the pending road and divider works quickly. She also inspected the site of the new road over bridge (ROB) to be constructed at Surareddipalem Railway Crossing No. 199. She enquired the R&B engineering officials about the ROB construction timeline, its estimated cost and other details.