Hyderabad: A 'posh slum' called Surya Nagar Colony

Shaikpet: Residents of Surya Nagar Colony in Shaikpet division are facing many civic problems, including poor drainage, sanitation, bad roads in by-lanes, encroachments and open plots turning into dump yards. They alleged that the colony--one of the highest taxpayers in the city--is being neglected by the GHMC. They describe it as 'posh slum of Jubilee Hills'. One of the major colonies in Shaikpet, it is beset with several primary issues. It is common for residents to deal daily with civic issues which are not being resolved by public representatives.

According to the Surya Nagar Colony Welfare Association, it is the first layout colony in the division. It was formed in the 80s. "The colony has major civic issues-- poor sanitation, sewage overflow, bad roads and open space turned into dump yards. Roads have not been re-carpeted for the last 20 years. The colony needs upgradation of sewer pipelines, as overflow is common," said Fazalullah Siddiqui, president of the association.

He said there are several footpath encroachments in the colony which eat up roads. "Most houses were built with huge footpaths which turned the roads narrow. Major parts of roads are occupied by parking at showrooms which are located on the main road. Due to this, commuters are facing inconvenience on the road connecting it with internal lanes," he added. Mohammed Asif Hussain Sohail, a resident said, "The open government land has been converted into a dump yard and encroached by local leaders. "Already a representation has been filed to GHMC for raising a retaining wall to save it, but still nothing has been done. Other colonies in Jubilee Hills are well maintained by the municipal authorities; this colony is neglected. It has been converted into a 'posh slum of Jubilee Hills'."

Frustrated over the lack of civic facilities, residents said the public representatives have failed to provide basic facilities. "It is better to go in re-elections to the GHMC, as the public representatives have utterly failed to keep their promises," said Mohammed Shareeb, another resident.

About 200 CCTV cameras have been installed in the colony with donation of the association. An NGO, Sakina Foundation, donated Rs 4 lakh for installing the cameras. "Most cameras are now dead. They were disconnected by the internet operator during checking of wires. Every pole in the colony has a large number of tangling wires. Illegal poles have been installed by operators, due to which the cameras were disconnected. Residents also constantly face short-circuits," said Shaik Hussain, another resident.

Illegal guesthouse

The colony name is being ruined by running of illegal guest houses. It is alleged that one is being run for illegal activities, like prostitution. "There are three guest houses in the colony which are illegal. Noticing shady activities of some anti-social elements, the association has filed a complaint with both the police and GHMC, but nothing has been done. Henchmen of the operators of the guest houses attacked members of the association over the issue raised by them. However, both the departments said no permission has been given to run a guest house in the colony," pointed out Sohail.