HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the Jalpally Municipal Commissioner to ensure that the stagnated water at Osman Nagar, Shaheen Nagar and the surrounding areas in Balapur mandal of Rangareddy district is cleared in the next 15 days. It also told him to take remedial measures to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.
The areas had got submerged when unprecedented torrential rains hit the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in mid-October. Not satisfied with the Municipal Commissioner's explanation regarding the water stagnation for the last two months, a bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy passed this order in petitions filed by residents Syeda Begum and Syed Bilal.
The petitioners sought directions to the authorities for clearing the waterlogging and repairing houses that got damaged in the rain. Pursuant to an earlier direction of the court, Municipal Commissioner G Praveen Kumar appeared before it in the current case and submitted that the municipality officials have shifted the affected families to safer places.
The victims are also being provided with food and shelter, he said. Currently, there is four feet inundation and the administration has been working to bring the situation back to normal. About two weeks would be required to clear the water and garbage, he informed the court. The petitioners' counsels pointed out that the government has not provided shelter homes to the affected families.
Besides, garbage clearance or sanitation work have not been taken up in the said localities which are covered in dirt and filth. There are chances of an epidemic breaking out if the stagnated water is not drained, they argued. The bench posted the matter to January 7 for further hearing.