HYDERABAD: Life is no longer tough for the residents of Bandlaguda Jagir, particularly those who cannot afford expensive modes of transport. The area, which is part of Bandlaguda Jagir Municipal Corporation, lies a little deep from the main road. Till recently, women and the aged had difficulty in travelling as they had no means of transport to the main road. They had to either walk or wait for a good samaritan to turn up and give them a lift up to the main road.
The problem, however, has been solved by Nagula Narender, the husband of the Bandlaguda Jagir Corporataor Sravanthi who won from Bangalguda Jagir Division No. 19 on TRS ticket in the recent elections. Narender developed an app in September last year to create a new transport facility. He has introduced battery-operated autos which charge just Rs 5 per trip.
RO purified water only at Rs 5 for 20 litre for Bandlaguda Jagir residents
The autos can be hailed with the help of the App that he has developed.“When a woman goes out, she either has to walk for three km or someone has to give her a lift,” P Anuradha, a resident of Bandlaguda said. “At night it is difficult, not knowing who is prowling where. But now we have no such fears. We have these battery autos at our finger tips,” she added. “The commuters can track the moving auto using the App, Ganapathi Express,” Narender says. At present, the corporator has purchased six electric autos at Rs 1.60 lakh each to provide auto hailing services for the residents until midnight. The autos are also equipped with GPS and CCTV cameras for the safety of passengers.
Solving civic issues
This apart, the growing municipality has myriad civic problems. Due to the rapid increase in the number of apartments in the last decade, groundwater has become scarce. The supply of municipal water is unreliable and many new colonies do not have pipelines. According to the residents of the area, the water is being supplied only once in a week or once in 10 days.But, Narender has a solution for that too. Nine months ago, he set up a Reverse Osmosis (RO) water filter plant and has since then been supplying mineral water to the residents at an unbelievable price of Rs 5 for 20 litre as against the commercial price that varies anywhere between Rs 15 to Rs 20.
“My water business is not for profit, but for doing public service,” Narender, says. “We cannot stop growth of a locality. If the infrastructure is inadequate, we have to find solutions locally.” About, 1,500 families in Bandlaguda Jagir are benefitting from the RO water supply service. “We are also supplying water for domestic use. We are charging Rs 400 for 6,000-litre tanker, which otherwise costs about Rs 450,” he says.
Narender wants to ensure transformation of their area during the term of his wife as corporator. “I want to end the mosquito menace by planting mosquito repellent plants in the avenues and streets. I will also ensure that all the 300-odd colonies in the area have rainwater harvesting system like we have in our Anand Nagar Colony,” he says. In Anand Nagar Colony, the residents store rooftop water in a harvesting pit. They only have two common bore wells for all the 40 families.
“In our colony, even the roadside run-off water is being allowed to seep into the ground,” Sudheer, a resident of the area, said. Taking inspiration from Narender, other corporators in the neighbouring localities of Hydershakote and Peeram Cheruvu have also started selling RO water at Rs 5 to their residents.