Hyderabad: Residents of BHEL X road, Chandanagar, say uncovered sewage drains pose a major threat to life and limb of passerbys.

They point out that some of the slabs covering the drains on the road opposite Lingampally bus stop have been removed. When it rains, the water covers the drains and people would not know where the slabs are missing.

Rafiha Ali, a resident of Gachibowli, said, “Two slabs were removed at a spot which was not visible when the roads were flooded. I lost my footing while walking there and was about to fall into the drainwhen a passerby managed to catch hold of me.

Workers at Siddiqui Kabab, Chandanagar, said many passersby fall into the knee-deep drains but thankfully suffer only minor scrapes and scratches. Mohammed Aslam, a worker, said, “The slabs were removed for road repair work recently. We thought that they would be replaced because they had developed cracks. The situation, however, grew worse with the slabs not put back in place. We try to warn passersby but minor incidents still happen.”

Residents fear for children saying that if they fall into the drain, it could lead to disastrous consequences. Nayana Shyam of Chandanagar says, “This problem has been there for some time now but the rains tend to make it worse because people fail to notice the missing slabs. Children walking across that area have been carefully cautioned to take care. Because the drains are knee-deep, any fall into them could lead to casualties. We have complained to the authorities and are hoping for some action.”

Authorities claim that they have not got any formal complaint.

Ramesh Gupta, the superintend engineer of west zone says, "Weare yet to receive a written representation following which we will send executives to the site. After they take note of the situation, we will start work immediately."