Village and Ward Secretariat Staff Halt Traffic in Vizag

On a sweltering Sunday evening, the usually bustling RTC Complex junction in Visakhapatnam turned into a makeshift protest arena. Employees of the Village and Ward Secretariats – the unsung back‑room bureaucrats who keep local administration humming – gathered with placards, plastic bottles and a chorus of slogans that echoed across the street.

These staff members belong to the Swarna Gramam Swarna Ward (SGSW) cadre, a collective that represents administrative and welfare personnel across the North Andhra zone. After a few days of peaceful demonstration near the Gandhi statue opposite the GVMC building, they shifted their focus to the junction, hoping the city’s pulse would amplify their pleas.

“Udyogam Chestham – Oodigam Cheyyam,” they chanted – a local phrase meaning “We’ll do our jobs, but we won’t be treated like servants.” The chant was punctuated by the clatter of empty water bottles, a symbolic act meant to highlight the strain of working conditions they deem unreasonable and the slew of pending grievances that have lingered for months, if not years.

Police and revenue officials arrived promptly. ACP Lakshmana Murthy led the contingent that tried to keep traffic moving while engaging in dialogue with the aggrieved employees. Officials promised to relay the demands to the state government, but the protesters were clear: they wanted concrete steps, not just another line in a bureaucratic ledger.

The protest lingered well into the night, creating long queues of cars, buses and two‑wheelers that strained the city’s arterial road network. A significant police presence was deployed to manage the congestion, yet the demonstrators remained firm, insisting they would stay put until the government’s response translated into action.

When asked about their next move, a senior staff member said, “We’ll keep raising our voice until the issues are resolved. It’s not about disrupting traffic; it’s about being heard.” The standoff underscores the growing frustration among lower‑level public servants who feel sidelined in policy discussions.

As the lights of the city flickered on and traffic gradually eased, the underlying tension remained. The Vizag administration now faces the delicate task of addressing these workers’ concerns without letting the city’s lifelines get choked again.