Karnataka - Mysore   

Rains expose poor civic infrastructure in Mysore

By Our Staff Correspondent

Vehicles wading through water collected on the roads following heavy rains in Mysore.

MYSORE, JULY 14 . The rains, which have been lashing Mysore in the last few days, have not only forced the citizens to pull out their winter wear but also exposed the absence of proper civic infrastructure in the city.

The inadequacy of the underground and storm-water drainage system and the sub-standard quality of road works have put a question mark over the city corporation's commitment to meeting the civic needs of the residents.

The choked drainages have led to creation of pools of water on several roads, affecting pedestrians and vehicular traffic. In several residential and commercial areas, stagnating water had begun breeding mosquitoes. The rains have washed away the tar and jelly stones on the roads, creating crater-sized potholes on many roads.

A short spell of heavy rain leaves many areas, including the K.R. Circle, the heart of the city, waterlogged. If pedestrians are forced to wade through knee-deep water, motorists have no option but to abandon their vehicles or take a detour to reach their respective destinations. Knee-deep water has become a common sight in K R Circle, Ashoka Road and roads leading to Hardinge Circle, among other places in the city.

Apart from the inconvenience caused to the people on account of choked drainages and water-filled potholes, the crashing of electricity and telephone poles, besides tree branches, during the rains added to the problem.

Heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds, have brought down several tree branches not only on electricity and telephone wires, but also on parked vehicles. Apart from the damage caused to parked two and four wheelers in some parts of the city, the crashing down of tree branches on electricity and telephone wires had disrupted power supply and telephone connection in many areas. The disruption in power supply has also led to a disruption in water supply to many areas, as the authorities have not been able to pump drinking water.

Many citizens blamed the city Corporation authorities for the inconvenience they had been forced to endure. "Could they have not taken up an elaborate exercise to clear all the drainages and cut off tree branches which had been perilously hanging over electricity and telephone poles during the summer season? Had they taken up such an exercise, the citizen's could have been saved from this ordeal," a concerned citizen said.

Meanwhile, many houses in low-lying areas have been inundated with rainwater on account of absence of underground drainages. Water has not only flooded their dwellings, but also washed away their household utensils, leaving them virtually "low and wet."

The residents of the affected areas have said that little help had been forthcoming from the authorities. Save for the lip-sympathy expressed by public representatives during their visits to the affected areas, no measures had been taken up prevent such flooding of houses in low-lying areas.

"The need of the hour is to embark upon a plan to prevent such inundation of houses in low-lying areas in future," said an office-bearer of a residents' welfare association.

Some citizens have begun asking questions about the use of Rs. 132 crore loan obtained from the Asian Development Bank in a proper and judicious manner. With a couple of roads relaid from the ADB funds already showing signs of wearing away in the recent rains, many citizens have blamed the poor standard of work. "If this is the state of roads even before the first instalment of the interest component of the loan can be paid, one can imagine their condition after a few months," said a citizen.

With the civic infrastructure of the city being in such a pathetic condition, many citizens apprehend that the Government would find it tough to promote Mysore as a tourist destination.

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