VMC apathy irks residents

Representatives of Tax Payers’ Association visit Ayodhyanagar

Vijayawada: Gross negligence of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation over maintenance of drainage system and sanitation giving residents of Ayodhyanagar in the city sleepless nights. Side drains were closed at many places in the area as the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation’s sanitation staff did not remove silt from drains. Besides, encroachments of drainage added additional problems to the issue.

Local residents expressed anguish at the representatives of Tax Payers’ Association (TPA) on Sunday when they visited the area over the apathy of VMC authorities who did not heed to their woes even they had filed many complaints.

According to Tax Payers’ Association secretary M V Anajeaneayulu, the problem arose in the area with the encroachment of a major drain which connects Budameru canal.

The drainage was occupied and even was sold by a realtor. Houses were built on the drainage, and as a result, it is now having just one feet width against its actual width of around eight feet in the past. Besides, the drainage was twisted at Lotus Pond area which obstructed the movement of water.

The drain direction was also changed from east side of Ayodhyanagar where the drain had connected to Budameru canal to west side (beside railway track) for the benefit of a real estate venture and did not arrange sluice gates to the drain. As a result, Ayodhyanagar area is facing inundation threat as Budemeru water would flow into the drain if the water in the canal increases by one, or two meters in the rainy season.

On other hand, side drains were filled with garbage as the sanitation staff did not remove silt. As a result, water did not move into Budameru canal through the drain and was stagnated on the premises of homes at many places. Bhavni, a local resident, said they were living under unhygienic conditions due to the negligence of the VMC. Sanitation staff did not regularly to clean roads and drains. Residents are suffering from health problems due to mosquito menace,” she said.

Another resident M Lakshmi said sanitation staff did not sweep roads and remove garbage in the internal streets. They filed many complaints with the VMC which were ignored by the authorities.

Anjeneyulu suggested to local residents to file fresh complaints with the VMC and also local corporator. The association would resort to an agitation after one week, if there was no response from the authorities, he said. Association leaders M Vasantha, J Srinivasarao, V Balaraju and others participated.