Hyderabad: Immersion ponds under attack by encroachers

Hyderabad: Squatters are not even sparing immersion ponds, artificially constructed for Ganesh and Bathukamma festivities.

Over 60 per cent of baby ponds in the city are encroached upon, thanks to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s apathy. Even though residents made several representations before the civic body pertaining to their maintenance after Ganesh and Bathuka-mma immersions, it has not come up with a policy on how public property should be used round the year.

Colony and residential welfare associations can use these ponds for several community activities like cultural programmes, study camps, amphitheatres and more after draining them.

Criminals have encro-ached upon baby ponds at Pathi Kunta, Nagole Cheruvu, Raisamudram, Kaidamma Kunta, Gopi Cheruvu and Pragati Nagar while others were on the verge of being encroached upon.

These lakes have been lying vacant after 20 days of Ganesh and Dasara festivities.

Squatters have filled over 10 baby ponds in Pragati Nagar area and even constructed asbestos sheds. Each pond is around 43x43 m in size and 4m deep and built by the civic body for around Rs 90 lakh.

Highly placed sources said local leaders were hand-in-glove with field level staff responsible for such irregularities. Residents were often getting into a confrontation with the squatters.

A senior GHMC official said the issue had been brought to the notice of GHMC commissioner M. Dana Kishore, who even issued a charge memo to Kukatpally deputy commissioner N. Ashok Samrat and assistant city planner Keshav Reddy for their negligence in protecting the ponds. The official said the civic body will conduct field-level inspe-ctions in the remaining lakes and initiate on-the-spot action on officials if found guilty.

Asked about making a policy and handing over immersion pond maintenance to residents, the official said, as discussed with the commissioner, that the corporation has been planning to rope in NGOs for their protection. He said a full-fledged policy will be chalked out in a few days and the corporation was committed to protecting baby ponds and all other water bodies in the city.

According to data collected from the GHMC, the civic body constructed baby ponds at Pedda-Chinna Cheruvu at an estimated cost of Rs 90 lakh crore.

The baby pond at Pathi Kunta was built at a cost of Rs 1.18 crore, Mir Alam Tank at Rs 1.5 crore, Lingam Cheruvu at Rs 1 crore, Boin Cheruvu at Rs 1 crore, Mundla Katwa at Rs 1.08 crore, Nagole Cheruvu at Rs 1 crore, Kotha Cheruvu at '85 lakh, Banda Cheruvu at Rs 80 lakh, Mothukula Cheruvu at Rs 80 lakh crore, Nalla Cheruvu at Rs 1 crore, Large Tank at Rs 1.5 crore, Patan (Saki) Cheruvu at Rs 90 lakh, Raisamudram at Rs 90 lakh, Kaidamma Kunta at Rs 90 lakh, Gurunath Cheruvu at Rs 90 lakh, Gopi Cheruvu at Rs 90 lakh, Durgam Cheruvu at Rs 90 lakh, Hussainsagar (Jala Vihar) at Rs 1.65 crore and Hussainsagar (Ambedkar Nagar) at Rs 1.35 crore.