Floodwaters Enter Luxury Mokila Villas

Hyderabad: Several villas in Mokila have been inundated and residents who paid up to Rs 8 crore for each villa said they felt cheated.

Kollur, Mokila and Shankarpally were projected by the BRS regime as a ‘golden triangle’ in terms of real estate investment. Mokila was proposed as the destination for high-net worth individuals.

However, inadequate stormwater drain network, lack of planning and some gated communities blocking the water flow downstream has thrown life out of gear of people living in the villas.

Water has gushed into the villas, submerging vehicles and damaging furniture. The internal roads were under a layer of water, and the residents were forced to stay indoors. The hours-long power outage made the condition worse, residents said.

“We fear every spell of rain. There are around 500 families in our society, including many senior citizens. All of us are forced to stay inside our homes,” said A. Aishwarya from LA Paloma Villas, spread over 33 acres.

She said a neighbouring society had blocked the free flow of water, leading to inundation of their homes.

Another resident from a gated community in Mokila said that they had been cheated. “Mokila was projected as the next popular destination after Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills. However, even an ambulance cannot enter our society during a downpour. Why did the government auction land here without even developing basic infrastructure,” asked a senior citizen.

“Snakes are entering the roads,” he rued.

B. Pritam staying near a gated community on the Kondakal-Shankarpally Road, Mokila, said that they had paid `4.5 crore for a villa.

“Around four years ago, the villa price was `1.2 crore. All of a sudden, it spiked to `2.8 crore and then it shot up to `4.5 crore when I purchased it. I feel cheated,” he said.