Guntur: The people of
Guntur city are disappointed over the exclusion of their city from the
metro rail project. Metro principal adviser E. Sridharan, after
conducting a survey with his team, has said that first and second phase
metro rail project would be constructed in Vijayawada and there is no
need for metro rail in Guntur city. Nearly one lakh people per day
travel to Vijayawada from Guntur and adjacent areas and people hoped for
better and swift transportation facility with metro rail but their
hopes are shattered with the new decision.
A
total of 33 trains pass through the Guntur railway station per day in
which seven are Memu and local trains. Guntur has two railway stations
namely Guntur and New Guntur in the city and Nallapadu and Perecharla on
the outskirts. The railway distance is only 35 km between Guntur and
Vijayawada having broad-gauge track connecting Krishna Canal,
Mangalagiri, Namburu and Pedakakani railway stations.
Students
of Acharya Nagarjuna University, V. Prahlad, D. Bipin, K. Nagesh and
others said that they used to travel in passenger trains to reach the
university and hoped for better and swift transportation by metro rail,
but in vain. They said that nearly 20,000 students per day go to the
university from Guntur and Vijayawada and metro rail would be very
helpful for them.
They said that the
metro rail project is possible from Vijayawada to Guntur due to
passengers rush but metro officials neglected the ground-level
realities. They added that ministers and people’s representatives should
pressurise the state government for metro rail to Guntur which would
soon switch into one of the twin cities of the new capital.
There
are no city buses in the Guntur city up to 35 km radius. Hence, metro
rail would be very useful to the public, said P. Krishnamohan of the
City Development For-um. He said that one has to spend Rs 32 to Rs 42
for the bus travel to go to Vijayawada but train fare is only Rs 10 for
local train. Hence, metro rail should be extended to Guntur city.
Retired railway engineer M. Subba Rao said that metro rail is very
useful to the public due to unavailability of buses and trains after 10
pm from Guntur.
Earlier, officials
had proposed Vijayawada-Yedlapadu corridor covering Mang-alagiri, Guntur
and another Vijayawada-Tenali corridor covering Mangalagiri and Guntur
which are very useful for the public.