EYESORE: This Uppal-Nacharam stretch is one of the many pothole-strewn roads in Kapra. — Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

HYDERABAD: Though located close to the twin cities, Kapra Municipality is plagued with a host of problems, a fact that even Kapra Municipal Commissioner S. Ramnarayana Reddy admits.

In spite of the municipality taking several citizen-friendly measures like introducing a Citizen Care Centre to record their grievances among other services, bad roads and defunct streetlighting continue to haunt many colonies here.

There are several colonies in the municipality and residents everywhere complain that the roads have been badly damaged by recent rains. Ever since the monsoon began, residential welfare associations here have been fighting with officials to repair the roads, but all in vain.

Talking to The Hindu on Saturday, Mr. Ramnarayana Reddy said authorities had been trying to solve the issue for quite some time. "But no contractor is willing to take up the works. The recent hike in the rates of bitumen used for laying the roads is the reason," he said.

Price hike

Despite twice inviting tenders to take up repair works, contractors refrained from bidding because of the recent steep hike in bitumen price from Rs.12,000 per tonne to Rs.20,000 per tonne.

Adding to the nuisance of the bad roads are the streetlights that fail frequently throwing the colonies into darkness. Parts of Nacharam, Snehapuri Colony, Sainikpuri and A.S. Rao Nagar are mainly affected by the defective streetlighting.

"The streetlights here have underground cable networks and the recent rains hit them hard. To repair these, we have to dig the ground and hence it takes few days to restore the streetlights," said Mr. Reddy.

However, the residential welfare associations refuse to buy this explanation.

"The bitumen rates increased recently, but what were they doing when the rates were normal? We have been struggling with these roads for several months. They have not even bothered to cover potholes," says president for Snehapuri Residential Welfare Association Uma Maheswara Rao.

"We have lodged several complaints to repair the streetlights here. Nothing has happened so far," alleges Bhavaninagar Colony Welfare Association member J. Thyagaraj.

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