When it rains, normal life goes haywire at Old Gopalapatnam

Visakhapatnam: Over a 60-year-old hamlet surrounded by railway tracks on all sides, Old Gopalapatnam, known as Patha Gopalapatnam, still does not have proper access to roads. For years, people in the hamlet had to pass through manned level crossing to reach the main road.

After struggling for decades, the problem came to an end due to the setting up of a limited height subway (LHS) by the railway authorities.

At a time when the residents were heaving a sigh of relief, another major problem cropped up for them. Owing to a technical failure of LHS, water gets stagnated at the under-pass way.

During monsoons, water rises up to three-four feet high near the subway. "Rain throws normal life out of gear. We could not move out of our home as water gets logged in the area. For pedestrians, it is even more challenging. There is no point in setting up the subway without resolving the major issue we are suffering from," says P Sanakara Rao, former president of the village. The condition of the roads and drains in the village is pathetic. Several stretches of the roads were dug up for laying water pipelines or UGD works. This has further worsened the condition of the roads. Cramped lanes and poor sanitation are other issues the residents here complain about. Shortage of staff leaves an impact on the sanitation work in the area.

The future of the children at an Anganwandi centre in the village turns out to be a question mark. Since the centre is being operated in the village development committee premises, the committee members demanded the Anganwadi management to vacate the place within a month. "We have asked for an alternative arrangement so that the classes would continue without any interruption," says TV Narasayamma, an Anganwadi teacher.

Sharing the issues of the colony, the 91st ward corporator Kunche Jyotsna says, "The technical issue of the LHS is not related to the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation. Hence, we brought the problem to the notice of the railway authorities. We are also following it up at regular intervals. A few shops with the support of the village development committee were constructed here. A part of the income earned through these shops will go for resolving recurring problems of the village."

Though people try to resolve minor problems with the support of the committee, perennial issues, the corporator adds, require the attention of concerned authorities.