Hyderabad: People raise a stink over garbage centre at Nagole

♦     With Musi river on one side and garbage dump on the other side, stench hangs in the air

♦    Garbage vehicles form a long queue for long hours, compounding problem

♦    Over 800 vehicles – auto trolleys, tippers, small trucks and tractors – bring garbage from as far as Hayathnagar in East Zone of GHMC, and dump it

♦    From this centre, the garbage is transported in big trucks to Hyderabad's main dump yard in Jawaharnagar

Hyderabad: Nagole metro station has a unique place in the Rs 20,000-crore Hyderabad Metro Rail project executed by L&T Group in public private partnership. It is the first metro station from where Metro Corridor 1, which connects Nagole with Raidurg in Hi-Tec City, begins. Incidentally, the metro depot and headquarters of L&T Hyderabad Metro are located in its close vicinity.

But the pleasant environs of the world-class metro station end there, as, on the other side just a couple of hundred metres away from the station, there stays put a busy garbage transfer station that causes stench round-the-clock. This centre located near fast-growing Uppal X Road area has become bane for locals as well

Over 800 vehicles – auto trolleys, tippers, small trucks and tractors – bring garbage from as far as Hayathnagar in the East Zone of GHMC, and dump it at this Nagole garbage transfer station. From this centre, the garbage is transported in big trucks to Hyderabad's main dump yard in Jawaharnagar.

"Unbearable stink emanates for garbage. Passengers using the metro are facing problems as apart from the foul smell, garbage falls on the road and spreads into metro station area when vehicles carrying garbage come here," said Prahalad Dan who runs a marble shop adjacent to the garbage station.

"We established our shop here much before the garbage transfer centre was set up. People living and doing business here now are facing serious healthy issues. Despite several requests and complaints, the authorities are not shifting the centre from here though it is located near the Uppal-Nagole main road," he lamented.

Venkat, a security guard at nearby warehouse who often uses metro, also complained about the foul smell. "We are sandwiched between Musi river on the one side and the garbage dump on the other. Moreover, garbage vehicles form a long queue for unloading at the centre, causing problems," he said.

Vehicle drivers are also forced to wait for long hours in the morning due to heavy rush. "I came in the morning. I will have to wait till 1 pm to unload my vehicle and go back," said Tulsiram who brought garbage from a colony near Saroornagar.

When contacted, Ganga Prasad, Assistant Engineer, Transport Wing, GHMC, told The Hans India that 540 tonnes of garbage come to the transfer station daily from Hayathnagar, LB Nagar and Saroornagar circles of GHMC East Zone.

"From here, the garbage is transported to treatment site at Jawaharnagar by 20 tippers of 25-tonne capacity each," he said. There was no activity around the transfer station until Metro arrived, he added.