Udhagamandalam: Official apathy has landed patients of a private
hospital in Ooty in the gutters- literally. Patients at a private maternity hospital on the Old Garden
road are facing a serious
health hazard as a 6-ft wide
drainage in front of the hospital has been left uncovered after
municipality workers opened it for repair.
The exit gate of the hospital has been cut off from the road as the
slabs that cover the drains haven’t been placed back though repair work was completed, the hospital authorities said, adding that despite several requests made to the Ooty municipality, authorities are yet to take action.
“When the work was under way, the slabs which cover the drain were removed by the workers. Since the drain runs in front of the hospital’s gates access to road has been cut,” said Parvathy, a staff at the forty-year-old hospital. The
open drain is an inviting ground for
mosquitoes to breed.
“We have been urging the municipality to cover the channel for a long time now. The open drainage channel is a huge health hazard, especially because it is in front of a hospital,” said the hospital management. The management added the municipality gave an oral order asking to remove the cement slabs laid down by the hospital at its exit gate.
Calling the repair work by the municiplaity poor, a local activist said, “Ooty municipality is spending so much on drainage repair work, but nothing is concrete and systematic. In a few months, the drain system will be back to square one. It is a waste of public fund”.
When contacted, C Ravi, Ooty municipal engineer and commissioner in-charge, told TOI that he will look into the issue and take necessary action. “The hospital management, however, will have to relay the cement slabs connecting its exit gate to the road at its own cost,” he said.
