Stormwater drain works at snail’s pace

Vijayawada: The residents of Vijayawada have to face water logging problem on main roads and residential colonies for another rainy season as the stormwater drain works continue at snail’s pace. To resolve the decades old water logging problem, the Central Government had sanctioned Rs 461 crore to city nearly four years ago.

The contract works were awarded to L and T company and the Public Health department is monitoring the works. Only 50 per cent of works were completed from July 2017 to January 2019 despite the State government set the deadline of December 2019 to complete the works. But, only half of works completed in nearly two years duration.

Due to administrative and other reasons, the construction works were not started in March 2017 and delayed up to July 2017. Public Health Department has divided the works in to different zones and execution of works started at nearly 100 places. As per the plan, 113 km major drains and 305 minor drains are to be constructed in the city linking the drains with Eluru canal, Ryves canal, Bandar canal, Budameru drain and Krishna river.

After careful study and research, the L and T company has drawn the plan and been executing the works. However, electric poles, existing drinking water pipelines, telecom cable wires became a big hurdle to stormwater drain works. The L and T has to take permission from municipal, telecom and other departments for digging roads and laying concrete stormwater drains.

Public Health Department Executive Engineer N Prasada Rao said utmost care should be taken for laying cement structures so that other infrastructure facilities should not be damaged. He said drinking water pipelines would be damaged and cable wires would be disconnected if proper care is not taken while digging the roads with machines.  He said shifting of electric poles from commercial areas and big junctions for laying stormwater drain was also a very big process. 

“We can complete the works if other government departments like VMC, electricity, private telecom operators cooperate with us, Prasada Rao said. He said by January 2019, more than 70 per cent works should have been completed but only 50 per cent works were completed. 
Due to slow progress of works, drain laying works are not fully completed in important areas like Suryaraopet, which the hub of hospitals.

Similarly, the works are completed in Moghalrajpuram area, which is the hub of educational institutions. Stormwater works continues at slow pace in New RR Pet, Nandamuri Nagar, Ajit Singh Nagar because of stagnation of rain water. K Rajasekhar, a resident of Nandamuri Nagar lamented that the hundreds of residents in the colony were suffering due to slow progress of stormwater drain works. He said the stagnated waters became breeding ground for mosquitoes and contributing for spread of malaria and other diseases.