Hyderabad: RK Puram Colony bereft of basic civic facilities

RK Puram: The residents of RK Puram Colony are devoid of basic civic amenities. Battered internal roads, non-functional streetlights, open manholes, lack of a proper drainage system, garbage dumped on the streets and open plots, open electricity meter boxes, pig menace, hanging electric wires, neglected RK Puram lake and the list goes on.

Locals alleged that though the residential area sprang up decades ago, it is still devoid of basic facilities. They also said that with garbage being thrown on the streets and open plots, the pig menace has increased. Further, these garbage dumps have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes with many cases of dengue and swine flu reported recently.

"Our main issue here is garbage dumped on colony roads. Not only the residents, the hotels near our colony also dump their waste here. With ample food available, the pig menace has increased. Many times, we have requested the GHMC to send notice to hotels dumping their waste in our colony. But, unfortunately, no action has been initiated against them.

Sometimes, the stench from these mounds is so unbearable that we remain indoors all through the day. Apart from this, open manholes are another issue we seek respite from. Sometime ago, when a few children slipped into an open manhole while playing, the residents covered the manholes with stones temporarily. It's high time the GHMC listens to our requests," said Mukesh, a resident of RK Puram Colony.

"The overflowing drain water from the outlet near RK Puram lake fills the air with noxious smell. We don't know when the lake works will come to an end which are going on at snail's pace. Apart from this, there is a transformer in the society which is not guarded properly due to which power fluctuation is frequent," stated P Andrews, president of RK Puram Colony.

"We are fed up with making complaints to GHMC officials about the issues. Whenever we make noise about seeking solution, they make false promises. The total disregard for our problems and pleas by the GHMC is annoying us more than the problems we are facing here," fumed Ramesh, another resident of the Colony.