Killer manholes dot Hyderabad roads

Hyderabad: There are hundreds of 'killer' manholes in almost every municipal ward across the city that call for immediate attention. They have already claimed several lives. The officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), who are responsible for the upkeep of manholes, are accused of adopting lackadaisical attitude.

There are currently 4.70 lakh manholes in the city, of which 2.70 lakh are taken care of by GHMC and the remaining two lakh manholes are maintained by the Water Board. Following the death of a tea vendor Motilal, who fell into an open manhole at Madhapur area on Saturday, denizens from across the city questioned the failure of the civic authorities in not ensuring the safety of the people.

A ground report by The Hans India team along with its sister concern HMTV news channel on Monday in a few GHMC municipal wards indicated the poor response mechanism in place for the repair and restoration of manholes.

• There are 4.70 lakh manholes in the city, of which 2.70 lakh are taken care of by the GHMC and the rest by the Water Board
• It is found that dozens of manholes remain uncovered for months and some for years

The number of ‘dangerous’ manholes along the Uppal main road towards Ghatkesar is at least a dozen. The condition is even worse in and around residential colonies of Uppal. Colonies such as Sri Rama Nagar Colony and Bharath Nagar in Uppal have several open manholes which account for at least two to three accidents every day.

Several locals poured out their woes on the pathetic state of affairs in their respective wards saying municipal workers were behaving in a irresponsive manner whenever they made a complaint. A resident and member of Sri Rama Colony Youth Welfare Club Md Naseeruddin said his complaint on three open manholes in the colony and his request for action to close them had fallen on deaf ears.

Similarly, a hotel owner on Uppal main road, Rajesh was facing a serious threat with three other dangerous manholes in front of his shop said the situation remained the same for the past four years. “Every three-four days, we arrange piles of rock or stones to forewarn commuters on the presence of an open manhole on the main road,” he said.

Other areas like Malkajgiri, Ramanthapur, Moosrambagh and Cherlapalli have several such manholes posing danger to commuters and residents. Anandbagh Colony in Malkajgiri has as many as 15 unattended dangerous manholes.

A retired government employee, Rajender Kumar of Anandhbagh said each road into the colony has nearly two to three dangerous manholes. “During rainy season, traffic police diverts vehicles coming towards such colonies fearing that commuter may fall into the manholes,” he said.

A homemaker Nomitha Singh from Malkajgiri said the civic workers would not give a response to complaints relating to drainage overflow and broken manhole covers. “Whenever we complain on the need to replace manhole covers or cover them, officials fail to respond,” she said. Another glaring observation here has been the increasing number of gaping potholes on worn-out and water-logged roads of the city.

A marketing executive from an automobile shop on the Minister’s Road, P Dheeraj said that roads near the KIMS hospital and nearby Sindhi Colony roads have many such big potholes which pose similar problems to that of a manhole. The problems from potholes seem universal.

Scores of potholes can be seen in areas like Chikkadpally, Musheerabad RTC crossroads and Ameerpet areas. But who will take the initiative to rid the roads of such dangerous man and pot holes.

By: G Bharat Krishna