Chandrayangutta constituency: MIM MLA all sound, no fury?

Hyderabad: Chandrayangutta constituency in the Southern part of the city where All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi swayed for over the last five terms is brimming with underdevelopment. The lack of development and deteriorating civic infrastructure has been faced by the inhabitants of Chandrayangutta.

The locals here rue how infra projects promised in the past are yet to be executed. They have been facing a lack of civic amenities; health and education are the need of the hour in the segment. Chandrayangutta MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi might inspire awe among his constituents with his speeches, but the fiery talk laid a constituency lagging behind with the developments. Many areas in the constituency still lack basic amenities including no proper sewage and drinking water system, bad, uneven, and narrow roads, open nalas, and most importantly poor sanitation in the segment, and above all the land mafia here is playing a major role in encroachments.

According to the residents, there was no road widening in various areas and no upgradation of sewerage, SW drains, and drinking water lanes, especially in the slums. “With a lack of proper amenities, the inhabitants in these areas have been living here for a decade. The slum areas include Baba Nagar, Bandlaguda, Jangammet, Rakshapuram, and Uppu Guda,” said Mohammed Ahmed, an activist in Chandrayangutta.

“Water is a problem in our area. Often, we have to make several requests and complaints with water board officials just to get supplies twice a week,” rued Mohammed Shakir, a resident of the Jangamet area. “Many representations to the public representatives and administration for upgradation of pipelines have been completely useless.” Similar complaints are raised by residents living in the interiors of Uppu Guda like Saibaba Nagar, Rajeev Nagar, and Lakshmi Nagar. These localities, though technically within the city, still have mud roads. The un-lifting garbage and the drainpipes remind of unfinished works and bad roads in the interiors of the area.

Development is a word that most of the inhabitants here have never heard in their lives. “For the last 20 years that I have lived here, I have not seen development,” said Venkatesh, a resident of Uppuguda. When questioned about the filth and lack of civic amenities, the residents rued that they were being ignored in terms of development and proper sanitation. Expressing concern over the lack of basic amenities, the residents said, “Demanding better civic amenities, the matter was brought to the notice of local leaders and concerned authorities, but no initiatives were taken to solve the long-pending problems,” said Syed Iqbal of Baba Nagar, an activist. Activists pointed out that the problems of water supply, cleanliness, and sanitation are increasing in various areas with each passing day.

Every opposition party blames the Majlis for not developing the constituency and claims there is no educational growth and national unity. However, Akbaruddin each time retorts development works, which include establishing Basti Dawakhana, schools, flyover projects, road widening, and other works. To his rival party, MBT Owaisi asks “I want to ask what you did when you were in power?” He always says that he spends several crores from his pocket for various works, while others spend only the MLA funds.