Key areas in Hyderabad’s old city dotted with mounds of garbage

Residents are venting out their ire on social media by sharing pictures and videos of deplorable civic conditions in their place of residence

Hyderabad: Hit by the civic administration’s apathy and its failure to ensure garbage clearance in a streamlined manner, unhygienic conditions have been taking over several areas of the old city.

The failure of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to ensure proper sanitation is not going well with the residents who are venting out their ire on social media platforms by sharing pictures and videos of the deplorable civic conditions in their place of residence.

Several areas of the once-walled city on Wednesday were found to be dotted with mounds of garbage at key areas such as Doodh Bowli, Vattepally, Chandulal Baradari, Bagh Amjed Dowla, Jahanuma, Aghapura, Mallepally, Nashemannagar, Falaknuma post office road among other neighbourhoods.

Near the Falaknuma post office, one could notice a carpet of garbage on the roadside. A local resident, Habeeb uddin, said once in two days the GHMC truck comes and lifts the garbage. “Locals have to bear the foul smell from the rotten household trash. People are falling ill due to the unhygienic conditions. Repeated pleas to authorities to find a permanent solution fall on deaf ears,” he complained.

Close to Shujath Hotel at Bagh Amjad Dowla, the boundary wall of a Darga is reduced to a garbage disposal spot with the locals in absence of any proper mechanism for garbage collection, disposing the trash bags near the electric transformer. “On instances, mischievous children set ablaze the garbage and the fire spreads to electric transformer causing explosion,” said Shaik Shafi, a local shop keeper.

A little away from this place is the middle class area of Chandulal Baradari. Here, one can notice a huge mound of garbage dumped at the place behind the local government school. Ironically, the Doodh Bowli ward office is located a stone throw distance from this dumping ground.

A dozen odd cattle regular feast on the trash bags at the place. “The garbage collection auto rickshaws don’t regularly turn up. So people themselves pack the trash in bags and dispose it whenever they get time. The GHMC workers once a while bring a truck and clear it or someone sets it on fire to clear it,” said Jani Miya, a local resident.

The local residents want the higher officials to visit the area and find a solution to their problems. “We are ready to cooperate with the corporation to ensure cleanliness,” Shahed of Chandulal Baradari said.