CPI(M) seeks railway underbridge at Vambay Colony in Vijayawada

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a protest on Wednesday demanding the construction of a railway underbridge at Vambay Colony in Vijayawada, alleging that the project had remained pending for nearly two decades despite repeated assurances.CPI(M) State secretariat member Ch. Babu Rao, who participated in the protest, alleged that the coalition government and its representatives were announcing development works but had failed to address key infrastructure needs in Vijayawada.Party workers and local residents staged the protest in the rain, carrying placards and raising slogans demanding allocation of funds and immediate commencement of the underbridge works.Mr. Babu Rao said Vambay Colony, established for the urban poor, had completed more than 20 years, but the proposed railway underbridge had not made any progress. He said the absence of the bridge was causing difficulties to residents of Vambay Colony, Ajit Singh Nagar, Payakapuram and surrounding areas.He claimed that nearly 5,000 residents were incurring an additional ₹600 to ₹1,000 a month in transport costs because of the absence of the bridge. He estimated the cumulative additional burden on residents over two decades at around ₹100 crore.He also alleged that several people had been killed and others injured while crossing the railway line under unsafe conditions. While railway authorities were imposing penalties on people crossing the tracks, they had failed to address the demand for an underbridge, he alleged.Mr. Babu Rao questioned why the railway and State government departments had not taken up the project despite the NDA being in power at both the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh.He alleged that several other bridge projects in Vijayawada Central constituency, including a second flyover at Ajit Singh Nagar, a railway bridge at Rajarajeswaripeta, the Madhuranagar bridge and the Vambay Colony underbridge, were yet to be taken up. He also referred to the unfinished flyover structure at Gunadala. Published - September 23, 2026 07:01 pm IST