Pilgrim city witnesses waterlogging, traffic jams
Municipal Commissioner P S Girisha and Mayor Dr R Sirisha inspecting rain-hit areas in Tirupati on Wednesday
Tirupati: With incessant rains continued to lash almost every day, the temple city Tirupati inundated with floodwaters on roads and several parts in the city waterlogged causing much inconvenience to the residents and commuters on the highways.
The waterlogged at several parts in the city including Auto Nagar, Gollavani Gunta, Koramenugunta, Madhava Nagar and Madhura Nagar.
Particularly at Madhura Nagar, the residents are bearing the brunt due to the apathy of civic authority, who did not respond at the worst condition of area where rainwater mixed with drain water and Under Ground Drainage System(UDS) water logged knee deep forcing the residents to wade through it.
Even the residents of that area could not come out of their houses for festival purchasing as the rainwater filled their porticos and at some places, the rainwater entered houses in low-lying areas. Apathy of the Municipal officials towards taking measures to solve the problem drew flak from all sections including the TDP and left party leaders. Due to lack of proper drainage system and encroachments, the traffic on the roads came to standstill causing much inconvenience to bike riders and car drivers.
TDP leader and former MLA Suguna along with party leaders visited Madhura Nagar on Tuesday and demanded the authorities to take immediate action to bail out the residents from hardships due to waterlogging which even not permitted them to celebrate the Deepavali festival.
CPM leader Kandarapu Murali, who was relentlessly raising voice against the civic officials and people's representatives over the issue, demanded the Municipal authorities to take up drain works on war foot for free flow of sewage water in the area. Meanwhile, Municipal Commissioner P S Girisha and Mayor Dr R Sirisha after went around all the areas where waterlogged with rainwater, assured that the Municipality will take up the works and complete them on war foot within 15 -20 days, preventing waterlogging at the areas where the problem is existing for a long time.
Admitting encroachment of drains in the city, which was the prime reason for overflowing of rain and drain water on to the roads, they said action will be taken against encroachers and take steps for free flow of rainwater.
It may be mentioned here that all the water bodies located in and around the city are brimmed with heavy inflow of waters and some are overflowing due to incessant rains for the past few weeks.