Hyderabad: Ganesh idol installed amid sewage leak in Shaikpet colony

Residents of Vinayak Nagar Colony in Shaikpet installed a 10-foot Ganesh idol next to overflowing sewage, citing inaction by HMWSSB despite repeated complaints. Residents alleged that a sanctioned Rs 23 lakh project had not begun, causing severe inconvenience during the festival.

Hyderabad: What should have been a time of joyful celebration has turned into a public health nightmare, forcing residents into a painful dilemma.

Residents of Vinayak Nagar Colony in Shaikpet were compelled to install their traditional 10-foot Ganesh idol right next to pooling, overflowing sewage, enduring the deeply repulsive stench of flowing drain water daily.

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The residents criticised Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) officials for failing to address sewage leaks and overflowing manholes ahead of the festival. Residents pointed out that multiple complaints had been ignored even as other civic bodies undertook road and manhole repairs and tree-pruning work.

“We have lodged multiple complaints with the water board but all of them were ignored ahead of the festival,” Maryala Ajay Kumar, UFERWAS member and joint secretary of Vinayak Nagar Colony Welfare Association, told Telangana Today.

Ajay Kumar alleged that although a budget of Rs 23 lakh had been sanctioned for HMWSSB, officials had failed to begin the work. He said residents were facing intolerable conditions because of bureaucratic negligence and failure of execution rather than a lack of resources.

Residents said their requests had received no response despite officials being given sufficient time to resolve the problem.

Residents and United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (UFERWAS) members have slammed the water board’s absolute apathy, calling the forced celebration in such unhygienic, sacrilegious conditions a deep insult to their faith and community.