Citizens raise a stink over lingering stench

​Hyderabad: The apathy on the part of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officials in shifting the garbage collecting and transfer centre from Lower Tank Bund to the city outskirts has come in for a stinging criticism.

Morning walkers, residents, tourists and tycoons wonder why the GHMC is showing such an indifferent attitude towards the problem.

The malodorous garbage dump which is causing foul smell is taking a toll on the health of residents in and around site.

For tourists and visitors to Snow World and Indira Park at Lower Tank Bund, the stench from the sorting place has left them fuming at the GHMC officials.

Adding to it, the trash transfer centre has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. For the evening walkers at Indira Park, trash collecting and transfer centre has got on their nerves.

“Breeze will be generally cool and refreshing, but the breeze here is full of foul smell. Sometimes it is difficult to go out,” said a businessman P Satyanarayana.

Recently, residents and managements of a hotel and the amusement park adjacent to the trash collecting centre have made representations to the GHMC to shift the sorting place. However, the GHMC remained unmoved.

“We have given representation to the GHMC to shift the sorting place as bad odour comes out of it is making life unbearable for the tourists.

It will be better for everyone if the civic body shifts the sorting yard to some other place,” said S Murthy, PRO, Snow World at Lower Tank Bund.

One of the reasons for not shifting the sorting yard is that small vehicles cannot go to Jawaharnagar dump yard directly.

The garbage collecting and transfer centre receives about 800 to 900 tonnes of trash a day from 19 circles which include areas like Secunderabad, Tarnaka, Amberpet and Mettuguda.

Though GHMC officials are ensuring that trash is transferred to the garbage dump yard at Jawaharnagar every day, foul smell continues to emanate 24 X 7.

“The sorting place works day and night. Whatever trash we get by GHMC and private vehicles from the circle areas we immediately send it to the garbage dump yard centre in Jawaharnagar.

We cannot do anything about the smell, though we clean it every day, bad odour still emanates. Worst is the case whenever it rains,” said Ramesh, a cleaner at the garbage transfer centre.

“Whenever we go out of the house, we are hit by bad smell. Despite several requests to the GHMC, nothing seems to be happening,” said M Anil Kumar, a resident at Lower Tank Bund.

A tourist T Abhinav, who visited Snow World said, “One cannot dare to open a small packet of snack to eat in the vicinity because of the strong stench in the area."

Residents, shopkeepers and amusement park authorities have all urged the state government to immediately address the issue.