Will they ever fix these manholes?

Charminar: It was only recently that roads were re-carpeted in the Old City and ditches were smoothened on streets in the wake of a global event. However, the never-ending woes of unsafe manholes continues to plague this part of town and accidents and mishaps are on the rise.

Most of the manhole covers in different parts of Old City are weak and fragile. Residents lament that though roads are being laid in many parts of the Old City, manholes are not being given the same priority.

During the recent re-carpeting of roads, the height of the stretches was raised, however, manholes were left as such thus creating a deep pit in the middle of the roads. Such manholes are resulting in accidents and inconveniences for people. On the other hand, the lids used to cover these manholes are weak and cannot sustain.

Weak manholes are seen in Yakutpura, Charminar, Chandrayangutta, Bahadurpura, Kishabagh, Misri Ganj, and other areas. These holes are so weak that they cannot tolerate heavy vehicles and break with even the slightest force. Public representatives and others complained about this issue alleging that officials from the Water Board and GHMC covered manholes with weak lids.

A resident of Yakutpura, Abdul Rasheed said that earlier bad roads were the only complaints for most people here, but now damaged manholes are taking over. He said that due to the pit in the middle of the roads, there were many accidents in the area. “It is difficult for elderly people, women and children to travel on these roads,” he opined.

Ironically, some manholes do not even have covers posing a severe threat to pedestrians and motorists. Such manholes also result in traffic snarls. It is alleged that engineers and other people involved in installation of manhole covers were using substandard material for construction that would last only few months.

By Mohammed Younus