VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials seem to have not learnt much from the past instances of residential localities in the low lying areas getting inundated during the rainy season. The heavy downpour on Saturday and Sunday once again exposed the poor mechanism of drains as several major roads across the city and Krishna district were inundated, paralysing normal life.
Although necessary precautionary steps should have been undertaken during the summer, officials cited a shortage of staff due to Assembly and Lok Sabha elections as the reason for not implementing the measures.
The civic body cleared the silt in some of the major outfalls drains in Wynchipet, Anjaneya Vagu, Kummaripalem Centre, Moghalrajpuram, Patamata and other localities in the last two weeks but the works were carried out in bits and pieces and were not very effective.
“It has become a routine affair for the residents to commute on the roads stagnated with drain water emanating foul smell during the monsoon. Nobody seems to be bothered about the plight of the common man,” alleged K Veeresh, a resident of Siddharth Nagar. Adding to the woes, arterial roads in his locality were dug up for laying underground power cables. Even after completion of the works, the officials concerned failed to initiate measures in re-carpeting the damaged roads causing much inconvenience, he added.
Meanwhile, Municipal Commissioner V Prasanna Venkatesh conducted a ground level inspection in the low lying areas inundated following the downpour. After inspecting the condition of the MG Road, Nirmala Convent Road, Loyola College Road and other arterial roads, he directed the engineering and public health department officials to deploy necessary machinery to remove the stagnated water quickly and divert them into side drains.
Residents of Eluru Road near Seetharampuram complained about water stagnation on the roads to the municipal commissioner, responding to which, he directed the officials to draft plans for preventing the water stagnation permanently.
Later, the civic body chief proceeded to Rotary Nagar and One Town area. He directed the officials concerned to remove the stagnated water and garbage in these localities by deploying air-tech machines. VMC additional commissioner (General) D Chandrasekhar, executive engineer - III V Srinivas and others were present.