Hyderabad: Mallepally is a civic mess, yearns for basic facilities

Hyderabad: Years of neglect by civic authorities has left the Mallepally area in Nampally constituency in total shambles. Poor drainage system, bad and narrow roads, zero sanitation and garbage dumps are making the lives of residents miserable.

Mallepally, Old Mallepally and Aghapura are the main divisions in Nampally. In these areas, garbage disposal has become a major issue for residents in the absence of bins which were removed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in order to make the city bin-free. With GHMC failing to lift the garbage regularly, the waste gets piled up on roads filling the environs with stench.

Locals said that not only garbage, even construction waste is also dumped on roadsides which remains unattended to by the civic authority. "We are vexed up of making requests to officials to carry out cleanliness drive in the area and clear all footpaths and streets of the waste. They never lend an ear to our pleas," rued Mohammed Majid Ali, a resident of Mallepally.

Though a large number of hotels and food courts have mushroomed and many apartments have come up in the area, the sewerage system has not been upgraded according to growing needs. As a result, the sewage flows onto roads and streets and it becomes even more unbearable during rains, when the streets become completely waterlogged, said Rasheed Khan, another resident of the area.

The worst condition of roads is also pestering the locals for a while. "The roads are so pathetic that they are unfit for use. We have requested the authorities concerned to widen and also re-carpet them. Till now, no steps were taken to improve the condition of roads," informed Shaik Ahmed, a resident of Aghapura.

Though the Old Mallepally area sprang up decades ago, it still faces the issue of narrow roads and other basic amenities as per growing residential requirements. "During the Congress government's period, the road-widening works were sanctioned. However, they were not initiated. The main roads in the area are still very narrow leading to traffic jams frequently," informed Kamble, a resident of Old Mallepally. Another issue concerning everyone in the area is contaminated water. The Old Mallepally and its surrounding areas still lack proper drinking water pipelines. "The issue remains solved by the officials for years now. Despite being in the centre of the city, the area lacks proper drinking water pipelines. We still receive contaminated water. The officials are unable to rectify it for many years now. We have no hopes left," added another resident of Old Mallepally. Absence of parks, playgrounds and CCTV cameras are also some of the issues that the residents urge the civic body to address.