Traffic on GK Veedhi-Sileru stretch may be delayed for another week

VISAKHAPATNAM: The restoration of traffic on the 45 km stretch from GK Veedhi to Sileru in Alluri Sitarama Raju district, which was damaged due to heavy rains 10 days ago, has become a herculean task for the district officials. Seven bridges were washed away, and landslides occurred at 15 locations.
It is recalled that vehicular movement on this stretch was suspended on September 9 due to a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal.The officials of the R and B Department took up the restoration works on a war footing basis and restored some extent of the stretch for light vehicles only. Buses and heavy vehicles are not allowed due to the severe damage to the roads, as the bridges at Nutibanda and Lankapakalu, besides other areas, had become weak.
The district officials removed the fallen trees and boulders. Vehicular movement was suspended on this interstate road that connects AP to Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Odisha. The people are now forced to take a long stretch from Sileru to Visakhapatnam via Rajahmundry or Sileru to Visakhapatnam via Chitrakonda, Malkangiri, and Jaypore, Sunkighat in Odisha state, Vizianagaram. This stretch journey costs around Rs. 800 to Rs. 1000 per person as against around Rs. 400 on the Sileru to Visakhapatnam via GK Veedhi and Narsipatnam.