HYDERABAD: Though Shalibanda ward in Old City, located in close proximity to Charminar, is facilitated with civic amenities, it lags behind in sanitation facilities. The road leading to the bastis from the market place in Shalibanda is an absolute eyesore. One can get a glimpse of a row of GHMC dustbins overflowing with garbage across the area. These bins not only impact the sanitation but also serve as breeding ground for mosquitoes. “The state of sanitation is very poor in this ward. The garbage is not picked up by the GHMC workers for over two days straight.
The sanitation workers turn up after repeated request by residents when the accumulated garbage starts stinking. Even the sweepers are hardly seen here. Even if they come, they will not clean the roads properly,” said Rafiq Ahmed, a resident. At times the garbage from the bins overflows on the road causing inconvenience for pedestrians to walk on the road. When Shalibanda ward corporator Md Mustafa Ali was contacted, he said, “The sanitation issue in Shalibanda lingers because of the acute shortage of GHMC workers. However, I will ensure that the bins are not left unattended for long hours and sanitation in the area is maintained.”
Moreover, the shopkeepers who have set up their shops on Shalibanda main road complained that water leaking from the pipeline and accumulating on the road. When the corporator was asked about it, he said the area where the pipeline is located doesn’t come under his jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, the workers in a famous khowa shop on Suraj Bhan Hospital Road in Shalibanda complained that the power transformer right in front of their shop is badly in need of repair. “We have received mild electric shocks on various occasions and if the repair is not carried soon, it will be a risk to our lives.”
When the electricity department was contacted about the same, nobody was available for comment. The residents across the bastis in Shalibanda said that they usually do not suffer from water crisis and there are prepared to conserve water during summer.