HYDERABAD: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken serious note of the alleged misuse of a Hindu graveyard as a municipal solid waste dumping and transfer site at Sai Ramnagar in Macha Bolarum, Medchal–Malkajgiri district and has directed the district administration and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to immediately stop all waste-related activities at the site.
The commission’s intervention followed a complaint filed in June 2025 by resident Manoj Bera, who alleged that land earmarked as a Hindu smashanam was being used for dumping bio-waste, septic discharge and even dead animals. The complaint said the dumping caused severe foul smell, health hazards and environmental pollution, affecting nearby residential colonies.
Acting on earlier directions, officials of the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) conducted inspections and submitted reports confirming that solid waste was being dumped at the site and later transported to the Jawaharnagar waste processing facility.
In its observations, the NHRC said official records, including pahani documents dating back to 1993–94, clearly classify Survey No. 199 as government land recorded as a Hindu graveyard, a status that continued up to 2014–15. The commission also took note of an interim order of the Telangana High Court restraining construction activities on the graveyard land until further hearing.
Expressing strong displeasure over what it described as the “persistent inaction” of the district magistrate, the commission said repeated directions and reminders had gone unheeded.
The NHRC has now directed the district magistrate and collector to issue appropriate orders and take all necessary steps to stop municipal waste dumping or transfer on or near the graveyard, and to submit a compliance report within four weeks.
The GHMC commissioner has been instructed to ensure the complete removal of waste from the site and submit a compliance report within two weeks. The matter has been listed for further review, with the commission warning of coercive action, including summons and disciplinary proceedings, in case of non-compliance.
Residents of Sai Reddynagar welcomed the commission’s intervention and expressed hope that the directions would finally bring relief from what they described as a long-standing environmental and humanitarian crisis.