Brief Rain Leaves Vijayawada West Waterlogged, Says Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao

A brief spell of rain was enough to inundate several low-lying areas in Vijayawada West constituency, with former minister and YSR Congress Party leader Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao blaming the coalition government for what he termed administrative apathy and failure to address recurring drainage problems.

Srinivasa Rao visited Priyadarshini Colony Road in the 42nd Division and Kundala Bazaar on Saturday to assess the waterlogging. He walked through knee-deep water and interacted with residents to understand the difficulties they were facing.

He alleged that despite the coalition government completing nearly three years in office, there had been no significant development in the Vijayawada West constituency. With the monsoon already underway, he said, authorities had failed to carry out timely desilting and cleaning of major drains and canals.

As a result, even moderate rainfall was causing drains to overflow, leaving roads submerged and resembling water bodies, he claimed. The entry of stagnant and sewage water into residential areas had added to the hardships faced by local residents, he said.

The former minister said the previous YSRCP government had focused on improving roads, drains and canals in the constituency. He claimed that special diversion channels were constructed from Jenda Chettu through Vastralatha to the canal as part of efforts to provide a long-term solution to waterlogging.

He also said desilting and removal of silt from drains and canals were undertaken every year ahead of the rainy season under the previous government as part of its preventive measures.

During his visit, Srinivasa Rao spoke to Vijayawada Municipal Corporation officials over the phone and urged them to immediately deploy pumps in the affected areas to drain out the accumulated water. He also called for urgent desilting of the drainage network.

Warning of protests if the civic authorities failed to act, he said residents would not continue to suffer due to what he described as the government's failure to take timely preventive measures. He added that the people would give an appropriate response to the coalition government.