The Kakatiya Canal in Alugunur on the outskirts here , which is infested with mosquitoes and insects, is now posing an additional problem with the risk of people falling into the canal due to absence of barricade and barriers to prevent accidents.
During the last one month period, three major accidents took place in the Kakatiya Canal at Alugunur killing six persons. In one mishap, a car-borne couple from Sultanabad drowned when their car fell into the water they were reversing after purchasing fish near the bund. On Sunday, a motorcyclist plunged into the canal as he lost control after an insect hit his eye. His wife died and he was rescued by the police.
In another incident which took place some 20 days ago, a family of three members, who were close relatives of Peddapalli legislator D Manohar Reddy, are feared to have drowned after their car plunged into the canal. All the above incidents took place due to lack of railings and radium signboards to warn about the canal and due to darkness.
At nights, people coming from Karimnagar and going to Hyderabad, who are unfamiliar with the area which is elevated and suddenly opens on the left into the canal, slip and fall into the canal as there are no barricades and radium signboards. Even on the Hyderabad to Karimnagar direction the road leads directly into the canal in the absence of barriers.
Similarly, the SRSP canals at various parts of the integrated Karimnagar district are also posing threat to the road users during the nights due to non-availability of barricades and signboards informing about the canal and narrow road. At several places such as Gattududdenapalli, Huzurabad, Kothapalli, Edulagattepalli, Jagtial and Peddapalli where the SRSP canals pass, there is a serious threat to road users in the absence of barricading and damaged railings.
Vishwa Prakash, a faculty of a private engineering college in Thimmapur mandal, who passes everyday on his motorcycle on this road, complains that they face several problems on this stretch. “We travel every day and we know how to go safely, but people who are unfamiliar with the road and canal are suffering a lot,” he said.
Commissioner of Police V.B. Kamalasan Reddy said that road safety authority DGP T Krishna Prasad would be visiting the town on Wednesday to inspect the accident spots and canals and would take measures accordingly to prevent such accidents in future.