Ancient amenities trouble people of Gnanapuram

Visakhapatnam: Poor infrastructure and pathetic state of civic amenities have made life difficult for the people of Gnanapuram, which was supposed to be a model of an ancient neighbourhood in the city.
Bumpy roads, mosquito menace and rusted drinking water pipelines are a common sight at Gnanapuram.
Gnanapuram history dates back to 1880 when the area, which is presently under the 44th ward of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), is believed to have been founded by a Roman Catholic Mission.St. Peter's High School is a famous old school in the area.
Visakhapatnam Railway Station, Visakhapatnam Port and Kancharapalem border the locality, which houses nearly 2,000 families. Most of the residents are from the lower and middle class income group.
G Rajesh, a security personnel at the Naval Dockyard who resides in Gnanapuram, said it's a low-lying area which gets inundated with drainage water during the rainy season. "As a giant storm water canal passes through the locality, a portion of the area gets completely submerged under knee-deep drainage water whenever it rains. It's a long-lasting problem and none of the elected representatives have come up with a permanent solution," Rajesh told TOI.
Resident K Parthasaradi said the elected representatives had assured them that they would construct a protection wall along the storm water canal to prevent the inundation, but none of them fulfilled their promises for the past one decade. "We are now in a hurry as monsoons are near. We are scared of the inundation and the problems that come after rains," Parthasaradi said.
K Vani, a home maker, said mosquitoes are rampant in the area due to the unhealthy living conditions and water logging from the inundation. "We somehow managed the summer, but are now worried about the rainy season," she added.
P Anjaneyulu, a senior citizen, said the GVMC did not desilt the storm water drain in the locality till date. "The GVMC was supposed to complete the desiltation of the giant drainage canal before the onset of southwest monsoons, but that did not happen. The problems will be more if they desilt during monsoon," Anjaneyulu added.
When contacted, a senior GVMC official of the ward said, "We have already desilted a portion of the drain and will complete the tail-end soon. We also regularly clean the area. The residents should cooperate with the corporation in maintaining their area clean."