GHMC shuts eyes to death traps riddling city

Hyderabad: The recent death of an 18-month-old boy after he slipped into a drain in Mumbai sent shockwaves across the country, with demands for better vigilance and quick action by civic bodies reaching a crescendo. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), however, seems far removed from all the furore, doing little to clear drains and cover dangerous manholes spread across the city.
A cursory probe by this reporter found that despite several complaints and calls for action, manholes continue to gape across the city. A few of the rather precarious manholes in the city are at NTR Marg pavement, TNGO’s Colony (Gachibowli), Allwyn Colony and Nizampet Main Road.
A gaping hole has made walking along NTR Marg pavement a huge risk, especially for children. Despite the civic body being alerted about the danger, the manhole is yet to be covered with mesh. Though garbage was cleared from the open drain at TNGO's Colony, its lid has not been placed back.
Construction work at Allwyn Colony has resulted in a huge pit in the place of a manhole that can easily get stagnated with water in the event of a downpour and be a threat to pedestrians and motorists alike. On Necklace Road too sits an uncovered death trap.
“Despite my complaints, GHMC has not fixed the manhole on NTR Marg. It won’t be difficult for a child to slip through it. Why must authorities wait until a mishap occurs to spring to action?” said Harish Daga a civic activist.
Ramanjeet Singh, an engineer, is worried an open manhole in TNGO's Colony may claim someone’s life if it rains heavily. “Water gets stagnated on this stretch during downpour and these manholes are not visible. Open manholes can turn into death traps during rains,” said Singh. A commuter at Nizampet Road said there is no sign alerting commuters about a manhole there, the lid of which jutts out and is wobbly. “Authorities should ensure signboards are put up to alert commuters. There are changes that commuters might ram into the pit if they are not warned and barricades put up,” said Hari Nath a marketing executive.
When contacted, GHMC officials said they were looking into complaints and would fix manholes soon. “We will fix the issue by taking necessary measures. Where construction or repair works are in progress, we will put up additional sings warning commuters,” said a top GHMC official.