Hyderabad, August 27: OLD city Ward Number 19 is bound by filthy roads and unkept promises. Located some 3 km south of Charminar, it is one of the most underdeveloped wards in the old city. The residents of this enormous ward lack basic facilities like good roads, sanitation, schools and hospitals.
To get to Ward No. 19, take the road that leads south from Charminar past the Mecca Masjid and turn right at Shalibanda after the famous Pista House Restaurant. Roads, if you can call a string of enormous holes in the ground strung together with some tar that, leading into Ward No. 19 are decrepit beyond imagination. And after the showers of the last few days, pools of water have made the roads slushy.
Another major problem for the residents here is the absence of a proper sewerage system. Some houses have sewers while others don’t. The house owners who don’t have the sewerage system extended till their houses have been forced to discharge their wastes into the storm water drains. When it rains and these drains overflow, the sewage water is pushed back into the houses flooding them ankle deep with raw sewage.
Mohammad Habibuddin calls it ‘criminal negligence’. He is the president of the Public Welfare Society, a local organisation based in Amjad Daulla Bagh locality that has organised protests and written to officials about the drainage problem. “But there is no response. I’ve called up all the officials and also filed complaints on the GHMC call centre number and the online grievance cell, what else can I do,” he asks with anguish.
The residents here blame the local politicians as well as the administration for the sorry state of affairs. Says Rashid Ahmed, a resident, “All the local MLAs and corporators belong to the Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen party which has no interest in developing this area. They want to keep the residents backward”. Mohammad Habibuddin blames the Congress government instead. “Those in power are corrupt and have no interest in developing these areas in the old city,” he said. “The local politicians themselves are uneducated and don’t know anything, what issues will they raise in the Assembly?” he asked.
The extent of the drainage problems becomes apparent when the road outside the Mandal Revenue Office near Bahadurpura cross roads is completely flooded with sewage water. Since the maintenance of storm water drains and sewerage lines in Hyderabad is carried out by two separate agencies there is confusion about who should fix the problem. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is tasked to look after storm water drains while the Hyderabad Metro Water Supply & Sewerage Board looks after the sewage lines.
A maintenance team from HMWS&SB is trying to fix the problem, but the on site engineer says it will take four or five days.
Now that the Supreme Court has cleared the holding of the GHMC polls it is expected to take place after the month of Ramzan. Politicians will start canvassing for votes in this area, but it remains to be seen if they will improve conditions here once voted to power.
–Agencies–