The apathy of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials on sanitation since the holy month notwithstanding, the state affairs of the Old City are not pleasing anymore. The lanes and bylanes of the city are filled with heaps of garbage and the drains overflow. And many children reportedly fell ill with various contagious diseases. Despite all, no action from government yet.
With the recent intermittent downpour in the city garbage has been strewn around; it not only raises an unbearable stink, but also flows into drains and chokes them. Residents complain that debris, drains and garbage are not being cleared on a regular basis by the sanitation staff despite tall claims by the GHMC authorities of intensifying cleanliness activities.
Areas most affected by poor sanitation are Moghalpura, Shalibanda, Nawab Sahab Kunta, Shamsheergunj, Falaknuma, Talabkatta, Charminar, Dabeerpura, Yakutpura, Gowlipura, Mallepally, Nampally, Tolichowki.
Expressing anguish over GHMC’s failure to ensure cleanliness, Mohammed Ahmed, a social activist of Old City says, “every time the civic body claims to maintain cleanliness it fails. Even for Ramzan, the holy month, there is no arrangement to clean the areas and clear garbage. There are several such mosques in the city where drains overflow near their entrances. Devotees face inconvenience. Despite several complaints nothing has been done.”
After the residents’ pleas to GHMC officials fell on deaf ears, the locals themselves were forced to clear garbage. “In Gowlipura daily devotees are clearing garbage near the entrance of mosques,” said Mohammed Asif, a resident. Garbage bins were removed as a part of a bin-free city; yet heaps of garbage are seen at the same point. Even sanitation staff dump it at the place and is cleared after 3-4 days, say residents.
Besides poor sanitary conditions, open manholes, drain overflow at several places remain. “There are over seven open manholes in Panjesha near Charminar. Due to recent rain silt overflows and spreads on roads. Devotees going to mosques are facing inconvenience, as the road is filled with silt. Complaints were raised; yet it remains the same, this has to be cleared as earliest,” said a resident Murtuza Mohsin.
“The civic body has totally failed to meet expectations of the citizens, as many areas in the city are grappling with insanitation issues,” say residents.
However, the GHMC circle-9 (Charminar) officials said: Daily the concerned wing is clearing garbage from roads and also from the garbage point. “A special team is appointed for the sanitation in the city,” said an official.
On the other hand, many areas we can find garbage piling up on the main roads but no action is taken by GHMC officials to clear the trash.
Vexed with the issue, members of the United Federation of Residential Welfare Associations (UFERWAS) have demanded the concerned officials to give proper and permanent solution for segregation of garbage.
Members of UFERWAS pointed out that one year back bins were removed but no permanent solution was given to remove the trash from the lanes. As garbage pile up in the lanes which causes a lot of convenience people and also mosquitoes menace increased in many areas.
Syed Khaled Shah, member of United Federation of Residents Welfare Associations and convenor of Secunderabad Zone said: “Bins where removed from the city but either it is the residential colonies or the main roads we can see garbage strewn everywhere.” “Also for creating awareness we the members of residential welfare associations have started an awareness campaigns two months back but it is not fruitful as GHMC is not supporting us.
It is a high time that there should be a proper concrete solution to segregate the waste. It will be better if GHMC start awareness campaign in the colonies and slums,” he suggested. “Main problem is that garbage is not picked up regularly.
The ward committee members and members of RWA can join and discuss many issues and solve them. As before officials of GHMC had the practice of having interaction with the resident welfare associations periodically and the majority of the issues were being discussed and it will be better if it gets restored, so that our city can be free from trash,” said a member of UFERWAS.
Lastly, How does Hyderabad justify the title of ‘Best self-sustaining city’ and the Swachh Survekshan award that it has been conferred with, when one can find heaps of garbage dumped on the roadside in almost every locality?
Residents point an accusing finger at the apathy of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials, who in their quest to make Hyderabad a bin-free city, are ignoring piles of trash being thrown in every corner of the road. The civic body officials point out that swachh auto tippers pick up garbage in every colony.
However, photos shared on Twitter reveal the more sordid side of the claim. A GHMC official said “A swachh auto is allotted for an area. They collect trash of households, and apartment complexes, besides what is thrown on the roads.”
However, many residents have said that they only see GHMC autos on the roads and not near their houses. On their part, slum-dwellers, who are assigned to collect trash in autos provided by GHMC, make money by separating plastic from the trash and selling it. G. Shanti, who collects trash along with her husband near Sikh Village, said that they collect trash at their own sweet time, either before 5 am or even after 12 pm.
Aarti Singh, a resident of Mudfort, said that she is not even aware of when the autos come as they maintain erratic times.
Arvind Khanna from Bowenpally said that since the time garbage bins were removed, trash is getting accumulated in his colony.
“We have hired a person who collects trash in our neighbourhood every morning. We have never seen or heard of GHMC swachh autos in our colony,” he said. People have been frequently posting pictures of heaps of garbage on street corners, flowing sewages and open drains.
Many raised concern for animals, which consume food from the trash, including large quantities of plastic. Drainages are getting choked because of plastic, read many tweets.
Meanwhile, doctors have cautioned of a rise in dengue and jaundice cases due to excessive garbage, which is the breeding ground for mosquitoes and other disease-bearing insects.
According to paediatrician Dr Sivaranjani Santosh “There are already many cases of diarrhoea, dengue, jaundice, typhoid, vomiting coming in, particularly among children, whose immunity levels are considerably low. Mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches carry the infection, majorly from trash, garbage and stagnant water.” #KhabarLive #hydnews
