Video-Damaged in deluge, Tirupati bridges are a proof of official apathy

TIRUPATI: The Andhra Pradesh Government is facing severe criticism from the residents of Tirupati who are unhappy over the appalling condition of roads and bridges in their vicinity. People are particularly peeved at the continued negligence by the authorities concerned in rebuilding several bridges that were damaged during last year's unprecedented rains.

The temple town faced one of its worst floods amid unprecedented rains during the last monsoon season. A majority of the localities of the city and its adjoining areas were marooned in swirling flood waters that displaced many families for weeks. Causing colossal damage, the deluge left many dead while property worth hundreds of crores of rupees was destroyed.

Now with the monsoon being very active this year too, the citizens are scared of a similar nightmare. Their concerns are not without a reason. In fact, it stems from the fact that nothing much has been done from the government's side to improve the overall condition of the road infrastructure. More specifically, their worries are centered around bridges that suffered heavy breaches last year.

During the 2021 flash floods, all the urban-area arteries and major roads that connect the spiritual city from all sides suffered breaches. With road links virtually snapped to the adjoining villages, the authorities came up with ad hoc measures to quickly re-establish the road connection. They created make-shift diversions to bypass the damaged bridges. But since then, they seem to have turned a blind eye to the need for a full-scale repairs and renovation exercise.

Roads filled with potholes and bridges with gaping gaps in between stand testimony to the continued apathy on the part of the official machinery.

Fresh rains worsen situation

All that it takes to make matters worse is yet another prolonged spell of rains. And the residents fear exactly that now with the state receiving incessant rains in the last two weeks.

In such a scenario, Tirupati will stare at the danger of completely losing contact with the rest of the world, they feel.

Tiruchanur, Chandragiri, Rayalacheruvu Katta, Thondavada and Gajulamanyam were among the worst-hit areas during last year's floods. These places remained cut off from Tirupati for quite a long period. Barring ad hoc repairs, the authorities failed to rebuild the damaged portions of the bridges on a permanent basis. It is time the authorities pay attention to these pending tasks and prevent yet another rain-induced calamity like last year's, say the Tirupati residents.