Traffic signal at Tycoon Hotel junction restored in Visakhapatnam

Traffic signal at Tycoon Hotel junction restored in Visakhapatnam. The junction was closed, much to the chagrin of the commuters in August last, triggering protests by political parties, which alleged that it was aimed at favouring the YSRCP MP to further his realty interests.

In a significant development, the Tycoon Hotel traffic signal junction, which had been closed by the city police last year, was restored late on Saturday night.

The traffic signal at the junction started functioning from Sunday morning, much to the relief of the motorists commuting between Siripuram junction and VIP Road.

The closure of the junction in August 2023 had taken a political turn with the TDP, JSP, and the BJP alleging that the decision benefited the YSRCP Member of Parliament who had a construction site in the locality.

A series of protests by the opposition parties followed. JSP president K. Pawan Kalyan, too, visited the spot during the Varahi Yatra ahead of the general elections and highlighted the changes that had been made at the junction to benefit the YSRCP leader.

On June 5, a day after the counting of votes, leaders from the TDP and JSP had gone to the junction and removed a couple of cement barricades arranged to block it. However, the police convinced the leaders that a sudden change might not only lead to confusion but also cause accidents, and closed the junction again.

MLA-elects Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu (Visakhapatnam East) and Vamsikrishna Srinivasa Yadav (Visakhapatnam South) reportedly requested the police officials to restore the traffic signal junction immediately for the convenience of the commuting people.

Following their appeal, the cement barricades were removed using earthmovers late on Saturday.