GMC chief pulls up officials over water pipeline lapses

Guntur: Municipal commissioner K Mayur Ashok came down heavily on engineering officials for negligence in handling drain-cross drinking water pipelines, issuing show-cause notices to one executive engineer (EE), two deputy executive engineers (DEEs), two assistant engineers (AEs) and two ward amenity secretaries. Making it clear that any laxity affecting public health will not be tolerated, he warned of stringent action against erring staff.Chairing a review meeting at the municipal council hall on Monday, the commissioner assessed key civic issues, including the shifting of drain-cross pipelines, desilting works, maintenance of summer water kiosks (chalivendrams), and uploading bills on the Nidhi portal. He expressed serious displeasure over the continued inaction despite repeated instructions over the past two months to shift pipelines that pose a risk of drinking water contamination.Referring specifically to lapses in Brodipet, Mayur Ashok directed the superintending engineer to issue show-cause notices to the concerned amenity secretary, AE, DEE and EE. He ordered that a comprehensive report, duly signed by the EEs, be submitted by Tuesday evening and warned that any further negligence would invite stringent disciplinary action. "The officials will face disciplinary action if I find drinking water lines crossing the drains anywhere in the city during my visits. Surprisingly, many of the field-level officials are not acting with urgency despite repeated alerts," said Maurya.Taking a tough stand on public amenities, the commissioner said officials who fail to ensure a proper drinking water supply at chalivendrams would face suspension. As a first warning, he ordered show-cause notices to officials in the Gorantla area. He also instructed that silt removed during drain desilting must be shifted to designated locations within 24 hours and that they should ensure that no child labour is engaged in such works.The commissioner further directed strict action against contractors violating tender norms and made it mandatory to provide safety gear to workers at all sites. He asked the officials to submit details of ongoing and completed development works within two days with EE-level authentication. He also ordered immediate completion of repairs to public toilets to make them accessible to citizens without delay. Superintending Engineer Venkateswara Rao, additional commissioner (in-charge) Sambasiva Rao, EEs Sundara Rami Reddy, Vishnu, Venu and Kalyana Rao, along with DEEs and AEs, attended the meeting.