1 lakh hillslope residents cry out for water, proper roads

  • | Sunday | 23rd April, 2017

The present problem is of drinking water, proper roads , health and education facilities. Instead, they are now planning to construct a retaining wall in the leeward side along National Highway-16 to prevent landslides on the highway. "These residents did not have proper electricity supply for nearly eight years. GVMC supplies water through tankers, but they do not come up to our hillock. Many children come down to avail themselves of education and health facilities," said Ch Narasinga Rao, state secretariat member of CPM party.P Hemalatha, a resident of Hanumanthawaka hill slope, said, "The hand borewells are not working properly.

Visakhapatnam: More than one lakh residents of 30 hillslope areas under Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) reel under civic problems despite being promised remedies during the past elections.The residents claim none of the elected representatives worked towards addressing their basic demands like water supply, proper drainage, power supply and protection from the landslides, particularly in the rainy season. Apart from this, there are dangers in the form of snakes and poisonous insects from nearby forest area."Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has visited our city nearly 60 times since the new state was formed, but he did not visit our areas till date. None of the local ministers visited our areas so far except in December 2015, when four people died in a landslide in Thatichetlapalem," said K Parameswara Rao, who lives on the slope of Kapparada.Most of the hill slope residents are migrated labourers from neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram. "These residents did not have proper electricity supply for nearly eight years. However, that issue has been resolved now. The present problem is of drinking water, proper roads , health and education facilities. Many children come down to avail themselves of education and health facilities," said Ch Narasinga Rao, state secretariat member of CPM party.P Hemalatha, a resident of Hanumanthawaka hill slope, said, "The hand borewells are not working properly. GVMC supplies water through tankers, but they do not come up to our hillock. We have to come down to collect water. This apart, there is no specific timing of the water tanker. Our situation turns horrible in peak summer which begins in May. Last year, we had a horrific experience due to lack of drinking water in May.""We have on several occasions requested the GVMC to set up a protection wall along the residential localities on hilltops, but they have not responded to our request. Instead, they are now planning to construct a retaining wall in the leeward side along National Highway-16 to prevent landslides on the highway. We welcome the move, but they must put the same enthusiasm on building of such walls at the hill top," said another resident of Hanumanthawaka K Jagannadham.GVMC commissioner M Hari Narayanan told TOI that they would construct a retaining wall at Hanumanthawaka. "The people living in 10 houses vacated the place on Saturday to facilitate the construction of the retaining wall, which is important for the safety of the vehicles and people passing on the highway," the civic chief said.

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