Ongole: 'Hole to Hell' open for almost a year!
OMC Commissioner K Bhagyalakshmi inspecting the hole on Agraharam Road on July 20, 2021
Ongole: The staff of Ongole Municipal Corporation (OMC) has created a record in keeping a dangerous hole open in the middle of the road for almost a year, even after the Municipal Corporation Commissioner ordered them to close it eight months ago. The locals claimed that several people were injured by falling in the hole, but the officials failed to respond to multiple representations.
The Agraharam in Ongole lies on the other side of the railway track. The tar road to Agraharam developed a duct more than a year ago at Arava Colony, due to the sinking of the material used to lay the road. The locals complained to the OMC staff and requested them to fill it with hard material so that there won't be any damage to the pedestrians and bikers. However, their pleas fell on deaf ears and the issue was unresolved.
OMC Commissioner K Bhagyalakshmi observed the hole, on her visit to Agraharam on July 20, 2021 and chided the officials for their negligence. She questioned them as to who will take the responsibility if some casualty occurs due to the dangerous hole. Even after eight months of the orders of the Commissioner, the hole is still open, by increasing its depth and width, and the locals started calling it, the 'Hole to Hell'.
Ch Kiran Kumar, a native of the Agraharam, told 'The Hans India', that the locals, who regularly travel on the road, know where the hole is. 'But new people going on two-wheelers are becoming victims of the hole to hell.' He explained that after the wheel of a two-wheeler falls into the hole, the biker will suffer many internal injuries, including breaking of bones and spine.
"If a person from Agraharam or Arava Colony goes to an orthopaedic in the town, the doctor's first question to the nurse is, is this due to the hole?," he stated.
When tried to contact the concerned municipal staff, they are not available to comment. But a senior officer said that they would look into the matter immediately and make sure the hole to hell is closed permanently.