A concrete cover over a drain near Ramavarappadu panchayat office caved in months ago. The panchayat officials, however, did not take any action much to the agony of residents.
The locals said that they lodged umpteen complaints with the panchayat but in vain. The staff simply put up a dust bin to cover the damaged portion. It was not only hindering smooth flow of traffic, but also causing minor accidents, they added. The gravity of the situation can be also gauged from the fact that a number of people in the nearby residential areas are experiencing the problem while trying to come onto the National Highway No.5.
A resident said that the concrete cover broke due to movement of overweighing vehicles. They alleged that none paid attention to their complaints. Sometimes during night, the people do not see the broken drain cover and fall in the sewer. Nancharaiah, a cobbler, said that the cover drain was damaged six months ago. They (panchayat officials) first put up tree branches to caution the people. It did work for few days. Later, they covered it with a dust bin. The damaged slabs were real nightmare for the people. Nimmala Sambasiva Rao, a resident, says that they lodged complaint with the panchayat many times. The problem could not be addressed to due to lack of coordination between government agencies and the panchayat. The drain was constructed by the Roads and Buildings. The panchayat was not taking any measures to cover it, he explains. A lot of construction activity was going on in colonies. Many apartments were coming up. The heavy vehicles carrying loads of gravel, cement etc. were damaging the slabs on the drain, the locals say. Some others point out that the sanitary staff of the panchayat were removing the slabs frequently to clean the drain, but do not cover the drain after completing de-silting works. Careless handling was damaging the slabs, they added.
