Mahatma Gandhi Road, Vijayawada

Bandar Road in 2014

Mahatma Gandhi Road (MG Road), popularly known as Bandar Road, is a major road in the Indian city of Vijayawada.The road starts at the Leelamahal Theater and continues to Machilipatnam, running almost parallel to the Bandar Canal. The National Highway 9 (India) (NH 9) runs parallel to this road on the other side of the Bandar Canal, merging into Bandar Road at Benz Circle.

The name "Bandar" was originally the name of Machilipatan Road, which the current Bandar Road intersects.

Its official name comes from Mahatma Gandhi, the inspirational leader of the Indian Independence Movement in the early twentieth century.

History

Bandar Road's has an average width of 100 feet (30 m) although it is not of uniform width throughout.^[1][2] This road's creation altered the landscape of Vijayawada and was the catalyst for the erection of Multiplexes and the Prominent Building.

Controversy

In December 2005, Vijayawada city officials decided to widen the road to 120 feet (37 m) without warning. This decision involved the immediate demolition of one wall of the Akashvani (All India Air) radio station and a neighboring bus shelter. The radio station, given no forewarning of this road expansion prior to the project's initiation, requested that the council order monetary compensation for the property's 411 yards (376 m) subsequent devaluation; and immediate reconstruction of the demolished wall.^[3]

References

1. "Widening of MG Road may take six more months". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
2. "The changing face of Vijayawada". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
3. "The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada News : Row over demolition of AIR station's compound wall". Thehindu.com. Retrieved 19 December 2014.