HYDERABAD: Residents near Cafe Bahar have finally got relief as the popular hotel reopened, bringing an end to over a month of suffering caused by foul odour from decomposed meat left in its storage area. The situation has raised serious questions about the lack of action from authorities despite repeated complaints from the residents.
For over a month, locals faced a terrible stench that filled their homes and made daily life unbearable. Shah Rakesh, a resident, stated that it felt like we were “living in hell.”
He explained that the Cafe Bahar's storage, located right behind their apartments, was sealed due to legal issues, leaving decomposed meat inside that no one could access or clean. “When we complained to GHMC, officials visited the site, but no action was taken,” Rakesh added.
Although the reopening of Cafe Bahar has brought some relief, residents are now demanding answers as to why their complaints were ignored for so long. “How could this issue drag on for a month without any resolution?” asked another resident. They are also asking the authorities to relocate the storage area to prevent such issues in the future.
The Cafe Bahar management admitted the issue, explaining that they couldn’t access the storage area during the closure and said that they will make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Laxman, the owner of a medical store near the Cafe Bahar, reported losses due to the foul odor.
According to him, Cafe Bahar also stored live goats in another open area nearby, which also gave off a foul smell. “The odour was so strong that patients stopped coming to the nearby clinic, and the doctor eventually moved his practice to another place. “I lost a lot of business because of this,” Laxman added.
The residents and shop owners are now asking for better handling of perishable goods in the area to prevent similar problems in the future.
While residents are relieved that the nightmare is over, they are calling for stricter action on the handling of perishable goods.
Hemalatha, the assistant medical officer of health, said that their department had not received any reports about the issue. “Had we been informed, we would have taken immediate action to resolve it,” she stated.
