Lack of coordination between departments derailing efforts to cope with rain-related woes

Hubballi: Lack of coordination between the various civic agencies has been compounding the many problems residents of twin cities are facing in the aftermath of heavy showers. Although the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) has been holding meetings to deliberate on the many possible ways to deal with such problems, the officials have failed to keep the other agencies, such as the Hubballi Electricity Supply Company (Hescom) and the water supply department, in the loop. Consequently, this gap in communication has meant that a concerted response to problems arising in the wake of heavy showers cannot be planned.
On the one hand, residents are at a loss as to whom they should intimate in the event of electricity poles toppling in their neighbourhood, or to get uprooted trees cleared, while Hescom officials are lamenting the expenses they are being forced to bear in the form of paying labourers to dismantle the cables, and restore them.
Lingaraj Nagar resident Suchit L Angadi, a civil engineer, said that branches of a tree in the neighbourhood were dangling perilously close to the electric wires. “We called the HDMC control room to inform them about this problem, and staff from their horticulture wing were sent to cut the branches. The workers who came to cut the branches informed us that while they could remove the hanging branches, they needed Hescom’s assistance to realign the cables. They informed us that, although they had communicated with Hescom, it would be advisable for us to do it as well. When we contacted Hescom, the officials said that we would have to bear half the cost for labour. Although we argued that the situation could have potentially fatal consequences, the officials insisted that we bear half the cost for labour if were eager to avert such a tragedy,” Angadi told TOI, offering the recorded telephonic conversation with Hescom officials to substantiate his claims about the apathetic attitude of the authorities.
Hubballi-based activist Deepak Shirolikar bemoaned the near non-existence of primary communication channels between HDMC, Hescom, police and other departments. “When we complaint to the HDMC about the danger posed by dangling electricity cables, the officials pass the buck to Hescom, where, in turn, we are asked to approach the HDMC. Traffic police in Hubballi-Dharwad do not have information on the roads that could be submerged once the monsoon sets in. Given that many apartment complexes release water to the drains, waterlogged roads will be distressingly commonplace in the twin cities. Tolanakere, a low-lying area, was inundated when a nearby lake overflowed. The deputy commissioner and other officials had convinced the residents of fixing the problem, but nothing has happened so far,” Shirolikar said.
HDMC commissioner B Gopalkrishna said that his schedule was packed with meetings for days to come. However, HDMC additional commissioner Shankaranand Banashankari said, “We convened a meeting of representatives of officials from all departments to come up with a coordinated plan on May 20. We will go through the minutes of the meeting, and take the necessary steps.”