Residents raise stink over tardy nala works

Talabkatta: The delay in covering ofnalas with stone slabs is posing health risk to the residents, particularly schoolgoing kids in Talabchanchalam division. The works which were started after removing the old slabs of thenala which flows through Bhavani Nagar, Labour Adda and Chacha garage.

According to locals, the works of centering and laying slab were started around 10 days back, but the works are yet to be completed. The entire lanes in the area from where nalas meander through have been uncovered for the purpose of laying the slab. Due to the open nala, the residents of these areas are facing hardships and only thing visible is open nala, posing risk to school going children.

"The slab works are in progress from last 10 days and we are going through hard times due to this slow pace of works. The nalas where slab laying worksareunderway at Bhavani Nagar, Labour Adda, and Chacha Garage are kept open for at least a week.

Due to this open nala, residents don't have the space to ride a vehicle nor have a space for pedestrians to walk", said Shaik Hameed, a resident."We are requesting the officials to complete the works as early as possible, but none of them are paying heed to our requests ", he lamented.

"Even as we open our gates we find the open nala before us. Now we are using the wooden boards for crossing over toside to another and we are also parking our vehicles in other lanes during nights," said Saleem, another resident.

School kid fell into nala

A frustrated resident, Mohammed Ismail said, "Due to this open nala, students face a lot of problem when starting for their schools and returning to their homes. We are afraid that they might fall into the open any day. Recently, an incident was reported in this division. A small school child had fallen into the nala. We hope such incidents may not repeat", he added.

The officials are routinely conducting inspections and as part of it Zonal Commissioner B Srinivas Reddy visited the spot. "We requested him to complete the works as early as possible. He promised that the works will be completed soon, but nevertheless still the works are pending", Mirza Shoieb.

GHMC Assistant Engineer, G Ekambaram said that the works of the centering and laying slab started 10 days back and works are in progress. "We shall be completing the works in 2-3 days. We are also trying our best for not to cause inconvenience to the residents," he said.