SCB unmoved despite low cleanliness rank

Hyderabad: Despite Secunderabad Cantonment being at the rock bottom of the ranking in a recent Swachh Survekshan survey, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has remained unmoved and is doing nothing about the several colonies that are in a deplorable condition. Leaking drainage pipes, patched roads and mosquito menace continue to haunt people here.

Due to the narrow pipelines, drainage is overflowing into people’s homes in several locations in Vasavi nagar, one of the largest colonies in the SCB. The stagnant drainage water has become a breeding ground of mosquitoes.

“There is a new born child in our home,” said A. Arunavathi, a senior citizen living in Vasavi nagar colony, explaining the fear residents feel about their health.

“Infants and senior citizens have become vulnerable to health issues because of the drainage overflowing into homes. Despite several complaints to the SCB, no one has repaired it. At the end of the day, residents have to burn a hole in their own pockets for all these repairs,” she said.

Even to get a garbage bin, residents have had to run from pillar to post for the last three years in Trimulgherry. Only after continuous follow up was one bin installed to serve five colonies, on October 1, 2019. Even that is not being cleared now, and it is situated right beside a children’s park, said local resident N. Venkata Ramana. Mr Ramana went to the SCB two days after the shameful ranking came out and asked for the garbage bin to be cleaned up, but no one was sent and the complaint was not attended to. Several residents said that their complaints are falling on deaf ears.

With no garbage container in place, the garbage is thrown out on open ground. The garbage could include animal waste, food waste from hotels, and plastic items spreading germs and an unbearable stench.

Many open plots that were meant to be parks, and which were even inaugurated as such by public representatives with their name plates, are havens for layabouts and drunkards. “People come and drink here at midnight and get into fights after boozing and start shouting loudly, disturbing our sleep. All the park areas need to be fenced properly and developed,” fumed Sita Ratna Kumari from Brookebond colony.

“There is no accountability or transparency in the SCB; officials don’t respond to our problems and they don’t take the lowly ranking seriously and work towards improving matters. We regret being sincere taxpayers as no work is being done to improve our locality,” said Telukunta Sathish Gupta, another resident of Vasavi nagar. Efforts were made to contact SCB officials, but they were unavailable for comment.