In the meeting, Pemmasani suggested halting the Rs 48-crore Inner Ring Road works temporarily, and instead diverting resources toward building a stormwater drain alongside it, bringing the total proposed investment to Rs 128 crore.
He emphasised that such an integrated approach would help ease traffic woes in Guntur’s suburban areas. The MAUD Minister is said to have responded positively to the proposal.
Guntur currently has about 108 km of major sewage canals, and 1,474 km of minor drains. Its decades-old underground drainage system, stretching over 150 km, is no longer adequate. Although a new Rs 903-crore underground drainage project covering 1,083 km is underway, the city still faces chaos every monsoon.
The mismatch between drain flow capacity and outlet strength at several locations is seen as a major reason for the recurring floods. With officials now focusing on a comprehensive solution, the proposed stormwater drain plan is being viewed as a crucial step toward ending Guntur’s long-standing waterlogging nightmare.
