Narayana lays foundation stone for three masterplan roads in Vijayawada

Vijayawada: Municipal administration and urban development (MAUD) minister Ponguru Narayana on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the development of three masterplan roads to be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 105 crore in the peripheral areas of Vijayawada.Narayana, along with Vijayawada and Machilipatnam MPs Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni), Vallabhaneni Bala Showry, Penamaluru, Vijayawada East and Gannavaram legislators Bode Prasad, Gadde Ram Mohan and Yarlaggada Venkata Rao, laid the foundation stone for the widening of Ballemvari Street from Poranki-Nidamanuru Road, Auto Nagar-Murali Nagar Road, and Ballemvari Street to Nidamanuru Junction.Speaking on the occasion, Narayana said the govt is committed to transforming Vijayawada and Tirupati into Greater cities, with a decision to be taken after the completion of the upcoming population census. He emphasised that road expansion and modernisation works have been initiated to address the growing traffic challenges in Vijayawada.The MAUD minister noted that nearly Rs 29,000 crore would be required to resolve drainage problems across 123 municipalities in the state. He alleged that the previous govt diverted municipal funds and failed to provide the state's share for centrally sponsored schemes, resulting in several projects being stalled midway.Narayana asserted that the present govt is prioritising the provision of drinking water, drainage systems, and other basic amenities in municipalities to improve the quality of life for citizens.Earlier in the day, Narayana inaugurated a newly constructed road in Sanath Nagar under Tadigadapa Municipality, built at a cost of Rs 2.75 crore. He also directed officials to immediately release Rs 7 crore for additional road development works within the municipality, underscoring the govt's focus on improving local infrastructure.