After a decade and Rs 56 crore, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation yet to complete drainage works

While officials claim that 95 per cent works are complete, the situation at ground-level tells a different story.
Representational image
Representational image

VIJAYAWADA: Civic body officials’ improper planning to develop underground drainage work (UGD) lines in western part of the city have become a curse to the public even as the schemes are intended to address decade-long problems. About Rs 56 crore has gone down the drain as the project is nowhere near completion and, in some localities, it is back to square one. The authorities are estimating that completion of UGD works require additional Rs10 crore.

The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) had announced the ambitious UGD project in 2007. Due to severe fund crunch prior to Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme, the VMC commenced the UGD project in 59 divisions of the city from 2009. A decade now, the works have been progressing at a snail’s pace.

Despite the civic body officials claiming that 95 per cent of the works are complete, situation at the ground-level is completely different as some of the localities in the city are yet to get UGD connections, leaving the project status stand at 75 per cent.

In areas such as Bhavanipuram and Vidyadharapuram, where roads were dug up to install pipes, residents alleged shoddy restoration work. “Roads are uneven after installation of the UGD works. For instance, Crambay Road connecting Bhavanipuram and Swathi Theatre Centre, and APSRTC workshop road were dug up for installing pipelines and were not covered properly, making it very difficult for the people to use them. The civic body officials should expedite the restoration works at the earliest,’’ said G Madhusudhana Rao, who runs a medical store adjacent to Crambay Road.

As per the data given by VMC officials, the task entrusted to contracting agencies had ended up with around 90,000 UGD connections in last decade, and 27,000 connections were yet to get covered under UGD. Unfortunately, officials are also not sure about the exact time period that will be needed for the completion of UGD project across all the divisions of the city.

The inordinate delay has invited sharp criticism from residents who are demanding that the officials concerned complete the UGD works at the earliest. When contacted, VMC Executive Engineer P Koteswara Rao said UGD works were nearing completion in westernpart of the city, which covers Vidyadharapuram, Bhavanipuram, Chitti Nagar and One Town.  

When asked about the additional Rs10 crore to be spent for UGD works, the official maintained that, as part of developing UGD lines, the contractor entrusted with the task failed to connect the branch lines with UGD trunk mains.

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