Half-burnt body found in empty plot
The police said that the body of a man was found with 95 per cent burns in an open plot near MLA Colony
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-09-18 01:07 GMT
Hyderabad: It is being alleged that GHMC sanitation workers burnt an unidentified body at Banjara Hills’ Road No. 12, Circle 10 of the corporation. The police said that the body of a man was found with 95 per cent burns in an open plot near MLA Colony.
Foul smell from the highly decomposed body, which was burnt days ago, caused the residents to complain to the police. The body was shifted to the Osmania General Hospital for post-mortem, stated Banjara Hills police officials.
The Police Control Room received a call around 8.30 am on Wednesday from one Amir Chowdary, owner of a ladies’ tailor shop near the plot, following the foul smell. The CLUES team collected clothes and a bangle from the site. Cops suspect that the unidentified victim was a man aged between 30 and 40 years.
“Locals state that GHMC garbage workers usually dump waste and burn it. Two days ago, waste was being burnt at the site. Following a bad smell, Mr Chowdhary complained and the body was found. It is premature to conclude whether it is a murder case. A suspicious death case has been registered and investigation is on. Only after the post-mortem report can the cause of death can be ascertained,” said Banjara Hills sub-inspector P. Ravi Kumar.
Cops said the DNA samples, the femur bones and skull of the victim will be preserved and look out notices have been issued. However, denying that sanitation workers had burnt the body, GHMC Circle 10 health inspector Dr P. Damodar, who visited the spot, said, “It is a private property.
A compound wall surrounds the site and there is a small passage and no gate. Coconut tree branches were chopped and thrown in the plot which were found burnt with the body. The site is not a dumping yard, the body or the other waste was not burnt by GHMC sanitation workers.”
Civic body’s laxity aids trash burning:
Lack of strict action by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation against garbage collectors is encouraging them to burn waste on city roads and in residential colonies.
Several complaints, especially from Kukatpally, LB Nagar and Marredpally made to the 24x7 call centre have been in vain. Tonnes of domestic and hotel waste is burnt beside garbage bins instead of shifting it to the temporary dumping yards. The GHMC fines the workers Rs 500 if they are caught burning garbage.
Frequent garbage burning emits hazardous gases, leading to health issues. The worst hit is the East Marredpally road that leads to Talwalkars Gym, Ratnadeep and residential apartments to the right.
Garbage is burnt in andoutside the bins, releasing over 300 varieties of carcinogens. The total annual budget of the health, sanitation and transport wing of the GHMC is nearly '400 crore, including salaries and wages. “Hyderabad winning the clean and green city award is only on paper. The city is becoming dirty by the day and taxpayers’ money is being misused,” said a source.
GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation), Ravi Kiran, said that stringent action would be taken against those responsible for burning garbage. “Special teams will be constituted to check garbage burning and take action,” he said. The GHMC is also deducting Rs 500 from workers’ salaries as punishment for burning garbage.