VIJAYAWADA: The storm water drain (SWD) project being executed by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in Vijayawada has turned into a death trap due to lapses in execution of the slow works in several localities.
Recently, an elderly woman in Chitti Nagar died after she accidentally fell into a storm water drain.
However, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials settled the issue after being assured by the construction company that a compensation of Rs 2.25 lakh would be paid to the kin of the woman. Similar incidents were earlier reported in KL Rao Nagar and Gollapalem Gattu areas where the people fell into the drains escaped with minor injuries.
On several occasions, the VMC officials have asked L&T to expedite the works, but the company failed to take steps in that direction. The State government awarded the SWD project to Larsen & Toubro Ltd in August, 2016. Since then, the Public Health Department of VMC and L&T company have been able to execute the project only on a stretch of 98 km as against the target of 424 km.
Not just riders, pedestrians too face difficulty crossing the drains. “How long does it take for a major construction company like L&T to complete the project on a stretch of 424 km? It has taken more than one-and-a-half years to construct just 98 km of the project. The State government should intervene in the matter to speed up the work and prevent any untoward incident during the monsoon season,” K Lakshmi Narayana, a resident of Chitti Nagar, said.
In an another development, municipal commissioner J Nivas recently convened a meeting with the representatives of the L&T and instructed them to complete the work at the earliest to save the residents from facing troubles during the monsoon season. The representatives informed the commissioner that SWD project was currently being executed at Pinnamaneni Polyclinic Road, Christurajapuram and areas near Andhra Loyola College. L&T representatives were instructed to build cement slabs over the drains to prevent accidents.