Hyderabad: Footpaths still filled with debris
Contractors pay no heed to officials.
Hyderabad: Despite the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) commissioner M. Dana Kishore’s warning of imposing heavy fines and blacklisting, contractors continue to dump construction and demolition waste on city footpaths.
The commissioner had earlier instructed contractors who have been executing any work to remove construction debris within a week. They were to ensure that building material should not obstruct traffic or pedestrian movement. Besides, the material was to be covered to prevent dust pollution.
Other orders made it mandatory for contractors to put up display boards indicating the start and completion date of the work, and for the work to be checked by independent agencies for compliance to rules. The dumping of waste, however, continues across the city.
Mr Kishore, soon after taking over as GHMC commissioner, conducted a meeting with zonal and circle-level officials, and set a deadline of September 10 for clearing the debris. Displaying pictures of Nampally, the commissioner warned those who fail to clear the debris of action.
A case in point is the stretch of Raidurg between Gachibowli and Nampally, where demolition waste is dumped in a haphazard manner. Several months after demolition of buildings for widening of the road, the debris has not been removed causing not only traffic issues but also severe inconvenience to the commuters.
The private agency which has been taking up the footpath construction has dumped construction material including iron pillars and concrete etc. A senior GHMC official said that the instructions will be specifically applicable for government departments on priority and the penalty imposed by the corporation has been termed as intensive sanitation charges. The official made clear that the staff monitoring the work will be suspended immediately if they failed to ensure directions chalked out by GHMC.
“Contractors and officials will be held responsible for illegal dumping of construction waste in the city,” the official added.