RK Puram lake choking to death?

RK Puram: Time and again Ramakrishnapuram Lake has made headlines for being the most neglected water bodies in the city but what comes as a shock is that the Nala leading to the lake has been left uncleared for nearly eight years by the municipal authorities causing inconvenience to residents in the nearby colonies.

Sewage wastes from these pipelines which have been accumulating under the RK Puram bridge have slowly begun to solidify causing a life-threatening situation to both the motorists and pedestrians who could mistake it for any other empty space.

In fact, the heaps of trash have completely covered up five pipelines of the Nala narrowing the chances of clearing garbage that is blocking them. Moreover, pungent odour from the garbage piles has become a cause of suffocation to not just the residents in the neighbourhood but also to passers-by who are left with no other option but to bear with it.

" At least the smell is tolerable in the morning but as the dawn sets in, it becomes difficult for us to even breathe in our houses, let alone pass that area. Since there is also a lot of water and moisture in the sewage wastes, the land has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Moreover, the passengers at RK Puram railway station relieve themselves in the sewerage dumps making it inconvenient for women who pass by that route." says Shyamala. a resident. It is also said many of the local people in the nearby localities are dumping their household wastes in the area, adding to the worries of the dwellers residing near the pipelines.

Despite several representations submitted to the municipal authorities over the issue, no action has been taken to clear the blocked drains. A senior citizen in the locality, on condition of anonymity, complained that the officials have always turned a blind to the sufferings of the Ramakrishnapuram lake and also to those to stay around it.

He added that even party leaders who boast of serving people in the area have not taken any strong stance on the problem due which even the local people have left hope that their problem would be resolved any sooner.

The 63-year-old sighed that except lip sympathy and fake promises from the officials, the locality people have received no timely help from the municipal authorities and the state government. In the meanwhile, the concerned official was unavailable for comment.