Rangareddy: Voters vent ire on netas for turning blind towards woes

Rangareddy : Soon after drawing of the battlelines candidates of different parties in Rajendranagar constituency formally started filing nominations with a big show of strength. However, fervour is mainly confined to respective camps only; no enthusiasm is evident among the masses who are ‘upset’ over politicians and officials function without a sense of accountability. Only activists of parties, local daily-wage labourers, unemployed youth and media persons show-up for the political events for, what they say, good opportunity to get some monetary benefits.

However, majority of voters from all three mandals-- Rajendranagar, Shamshabad and Gandipet--are expressing dissent in unison against ‘corrupt’ politicians and officials, land mafia and syndicates encroaching government lands and water bodies, besides promoting unauthorised ventures and commercial establishments with impunity. Voters in Rajendranagar say benefits of government schemes are still at large, while sufferings too are not heard of for years. Landsharks rule the roost as not even parks are safe from encroachment in several colonies. Said Mohd Jaffer Pasha of Shastripuram Colony,“Leave alone providing facilities to the public by the GHMC, even parks in colonies are not being protected from encroachments. One among them is Shastripuram Colony where landsharks grabbed an open plot meant for a playground and built an illegal venture under the very nose of GHMC officials. Besides open plots allocated for public amenities in the colony are getting diverted or devoured.”

According to Syed Ali, “Apart from encroachment of playground in the colony, a railway halt at Uddamgadda was closed almost two years ago completely cutting the important road link between Mailardevpally and Shastripuram.”

He added, “Dozens of people shut their shops after losing business due to the closure of the route in the name of building a road-over-bridge (ROB). All efforts from representations to holding a few demonstrations demanding completion of work and opening of the closed route have failed to attract officials’ empathy to unprecedented hardships faced by the locals”

No different is the situation in Gandipet mandal. Voters say encroachments of government lands, water bodies, community parks, besides illegal ventures became a common practice.

“Landgrabbers in cohort with officials and politicians are ruling the roost as the civic system has turned fragile,” said K Nagesh of Manikonda. “We often heard or saw people getting benefit from the ‘Shadi Mubarak’ and ‘Kalyana Lakshmi’ schemes during a government programme, but were appalled to see that none is from our neighbouring or surrounding areas. Who were getting the benefits?,” asked Mohd Anwar from Narsingi. Similar voices echo from Shamshabad mandal. A resident, Anil Kumar, said “We only heard about government schemes meant for the public all these years sans any real benefit. From filling fuel to finding food, everything comes with billing while earning takes a complete backseat. We are left to tender mercies of tribulations and found none to bail us out.”