Tirupati: Indira Nagar residents deprived of clean drinking water

Tirupati: The residents of Indira Nagar have been desperately looking for clean drinking water but were deprived of the basic facility for a long period.

They were forced to use stinking water even in washrooms and the whole area was emanating such a bad smell. Telugu Ganga water is getting contaminated with drain water for the last two months and has been creating problems for the residents.

This notified slum falls under 24th division of the municipal corporation from where Hanumantha Naik has been representing as Corporator but residing at a posh locality away from the area. The area has about 1,500 houses with about 6,000 population of which 3,900 eligible voters are there. After recent rains in November, the residents were experiencing Telugu Ganga water in mud colour which spreads a bad smell. They were forced to buy canned water for drinking and cooking purposes while several of them were purchasing tankers washroom purposes.

Their repeated complaints to Corporator Hanumantha Naik about the problem have gone in vain. The polluted water and poor sanitation have led many residents to fall sick with fevers while a 70-year-old Sakkubai was admitted into Ruia hospital recently.

V Jayakala and J Yallamma, who are residing in the area, lamented that the polluted water was making even the children sick. They are planning to complain to the Corporation Commissioner on the next grievance day as the Corporator and municipal staff were not visiting the area and hearing their problems.

Ramana, a businessman of Indira Nagar, said the municipal engineering department staff diverted UDS line to side canals six months ago and with this the water flowing in the canals spreading foul smell in the area. He said it has made the UDS redundant. Speaking to The Hans India, Corporator Hanumantha Naik said the proposals were already put for new pipelines. Once new lines laid, all problems will be resolved in the area, he added.