Residents of a colony in Kukatpally are up in arms against the authorities to save their roads and a lake in the vicinity.
Vexed with lack of response despite complaints, the residents of Deeptisri Nagar have decided to conduct a public protest seeking resolution of the issues. They have tied up banners across the colony, venting out their frustration.
Two weeks ago, the colony was in news when fish died in large numbers in the Regulakunta lake following heavy rains. The lake abuts the colony, and has become repository of sewage and pollution from a dumping ground nearby, leading to the death of fish.
“Till recently, the lake had pristine water, which allowed fish to thrive. Government gave permission to about 60 fishermen to fish from the lake and eke out a livelihood. But the recent incident has left doubts in our minds about availability of catch anymore in the lake,” said B. Prakash Varma, a resident of the colony.
Located about a kilometre away from the colony is a garbage transfer station of GHMC, adjacent to the Dharmapuri temple, from where pollution and stench emanate throughout the day, residents complain.
“They set up the dump yard about 10 years ago, promising that no trace of stench or pollution would emerge from there. Now, you cannot stay in the vicinity even for a minute. Added to it is the parade of garbage trucks day in and day out,” complained Y. Seetaramaiah, president of the Deeptisri Nagar Colony Residents’ Welfare Association.
Garbage from as far as Kukatpally and JNTU is brought here, and trucks carrying trash could be seen in waiting for half a kilometre from the yard, he says.
“Sometimes, unwilling to wait, the operators dump the garbage on the roadside and leave, turning the whole stretch into a veritable dump yard. Unable to bear the sight, we had taken an initiative to clear the garbage earlier,” Mr. Seetaramaiah said.
During recent rains, leachate from the dump had flown down to the lake, turning the water dark, and killing the fish in droves, he said. Adding to the pollution is the sewage flow from localities of Ameenpur, owing to large number of structures cropping up in the area during the past few years, whose drainage lines are connected to the lake’s inlet drain.
“When we complained to the GHMC, they said the lake is maintained by HMDA, and the latter in turn blamed the Irrigation department,” Mr. Seetaramaiah said.
Seeking resolution to all these issues, residents of Deeptisri Nagar and Shanti Nagar colonies have decided to conduct a demonstration on Sunday near the lake.
