Visakhapatnam: Residents of Butchirajupalem dread monsoon season

Visakhapatnam: Absence of proper drainage system haunts people of Butchirajupalem, a five-decade old neighbourhood of Greater Visakhapatnam.

Though roads and drains were facilitated much earlier in the area, most of the roads and drains are now in a bad condition.

Particularly in Gandhi Nagar, Gavara Veedhi and Reddy Veedhi that come under the 90th ward of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC). Community associations present in the area largely focus on developing the amenities.

In an area where close to 6,000 people reside, monsoon season is the most dreaded season for the residents as their life comes to a standstill due to overflowing drains. In some stretches, overflowing drain water enters houses.

Since there is no proper channel to flush out the domestic wastewater, drain water often gets stagnated in the vacant area of Butchirajupalem. "It is because of this, the residents here suffer from mosquito-borne diseases frequently. Along with the domestic wastewater that gets collected in the area, sewage from uphill areas also flows into our neighbourhood," laments D Satish, a resident of Butchirajupalem. Though the residents brought the issue to the notice of the corporation officials, the issue is yet to be resolved. "The drainage system needs to be built on the railway land. Since railway authorities are yet to grant permission for it, the issue continues to remain unresolved for years," explains Satish.

A GVMC upper primary school that falls under the purview of the colony waits for upgradation. The colony residents appealed to the authorities concerned to upgrade the school into a high school so that the children in the area need not go to far off places for their educational needs. The institution has been developed under the Nadu-Nedu programme to the tune of Rs 18.5 lakh. Currently, there are

about 250 students studying in the school. But they do suffer from classroom shortage which needs to be looked into.

As a part of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) road is attached to the area, traffic bottlenecks continue to recur in the area. Moreover, with many educational institutions dotting the neigbourhood, traffic flow appears to be heavy during school and office hours. "Another main problem we face here is recurring accidents. Though they happen to be minor mishaps, heavy traffic flow poses a larger risk to the locals and the commuters. Construction of a foot-over-bridge would resolve the traffic woes in the area," suggests Chukka Prasad Reddy, a YSRCP leader.

Besides, roads in the area were dug up for various reasons, including for water pipeline, UGD and cable works. For months, these dug up roads were left unattended causing inconvenience to the residents.