Vijayawada motorists face heat stress at traffic junctions due to missing shade nets

Vijayawada: As the city continues to reel under an intense heatwave, with mercury levels soaring above 40 degrees Celsius, the need for shade nets at traffic junctions is being felt more than ever. Motorists are being forced to endure heat stress while waiting at traffic signals due to the absence of shade nets. Despite it being a routine demand from motorists every summer to install shade nets as part of the summer action plan, civic authorities have once again ignored their plea, leaving them to struggle in harsh weather conditions at busy junctions.While the city traffic police wing has erected shade nets at Skew Bridge traffic junction and Benz Circle, on one side of the junction where vehicles from the Eluru side stop, both nets were damaged within days of being installed due to a lack of maintenance. Furthermore, the traffic police wing's plan to erect shade nets across major junctions in the city has hit a roadblock for unknown reasons."It is high time for the Vijayawada civic body to take a cue from other civic bodies that have been implementing various measures during the summer season to provide relief from the heat. We see municipal corporations like Ahmedabad putting up roadside air-conditioned waiting rooms for delivery personnel to provide respite from heat stress, while corporations like Chennai install shade nets at all traffic junctions. However, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation has not replicated even a single summer best practice adopted by other cities," lamented Anjaneyulu, a delivery worker in the city.Another motorist, identified as Sravan, who was waiting at the busy Benz Circle traffic junction, said: "If not at every junction, the authorities should at least provide canopies at the busiest ones like Benz Circle, Mahanadu junction, Ramavarappadu Ring and PCR junction in the city."