Piles of debris filling Shah Hatim Talab

Karwan: Most of the surroundings of Shah Hatim Talab, located under Karwan constituency, has been slowly transforming into a dumping yard with the waste and construction debris from the surrounding areas. Even though the officials of GHMC and other civic bodies regularly inspect, as part of protecting lakes, there has been no respite from the trend.

Following complaints from the nearby residents, the local Congress leader and activist Osman Bin Mohammed Al Hajri visited the lake and found trolleys unloading debris inside the FTL of the lake. He tried to stop the workers from unloading and asked them to clear the debris from the spot. Rather than stopping, the workers referred to the orders of the supervisor who had asked them to do so.

"I called the division supervisor and asked him to clear the debris piling up for days and warned them not to dump the debris again in the lake," he said. Alleging that the GHMC was neglecting the lakes, Osman Al Hajri said that crores of rupees were being sanctioned, but rather than clearing the weed and water hyacinth at the lake, the construction debris and other wastage is being dumped at the lake.

"I believe this is an attempt to fill up section of the lake with the intention of encroaching it. Some persons with political clout with the active backing of some officials are involved ", he alleged.

"Firstly, the entire surface to the lake is covered with water hyacinth and the GHMC is spending huge amount of money in clearing the lakes, which have now turned into mosquitoes breeding spots. And now, the land sharks are attempting to encroach by dumping construction waste. I request the government to save Shah Hatim Talab from land grabbers", he added.

According to residents, the evening hours have become difficult to have water or food due to the mosquitoes. "Even before it is dark, army of mosquitoes enters houses. We have to take special caution while eating or drinking. Nothing has been done for years to clear the lake from being the top mosquito breeding ground," lamented, Abu Bakr, a resident of Balreddy Nagar.

By MM Farooqui