Drain water inundates SMC office

​Hyderabad: The callous attitude of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials had forced the State Minorities Commission (SMC) to declare a four-day holiday after staff and visitors complained about the unbearable stench emanating from the steadily overflowing drain near its premises for nearly a week.

The entrance to the SMC office, located at #1248, a stone’s throw away from Raj Bhavan, paints a shoddy picture of the state of affairs in the civic body, which ironically has been busy finalising a plan of action in consultation with experts at the Administrative Staff College of India to make Hyderabad a world class city.

The level of preparedness of the civic staff also came in for criticism from the staff of SMC, which opened office on Thursday after a four-day shutdown. The employees complained that there was no change in the status of their complaint and sewer water continued to flow out furiously on to the Raj Bhavan Road.

“We have lodged several complaints and have also brought the severity of the issue to the notice of senior officials about the poor response from the local civic staff towards solving the problem,” said State Minorities Commission Chairman Abid Rasool Khan.

On Thursday, visitors keen to reach the office premises could walk in, but had to use a vehicle to cover the 50-m stretch that is inundated with flowing sewer water. “It is very embarrassing to see drainage water all around the office premises on an important road like Raj Bhavan.

I waded my way through the dirty water to reach the office. You can see for yourself the stench that has enveloped the office. It is really sad and unbearable,” said Md Rahim, who had come down to the office with his daughter.

“The problem of the overflowing drain at the SMC office has been continuing for a long time. Working in this office has become a daunting task for employees and visitors alike who are forced to bear with the stench and the swarm of mosquitoes that have made it a breeding place.

Surprisingly, the overflowing drain could not attract the attention of VIPs who throng the neighbouring Dilkusha Guest House. Every day, VIPs pass through the road, but none of them have taken an interest in resolving the matter,” complained an employee on the condition of anonymity.

He said that visitors have stopped coming to the office because of the stagnant water on the premises. “Drain water has been flowing on the premises for eight days now. Yet, there is no response from the GHMC staff to fix the problem. Rainfall in the past two days has only aggravated things. The situation has reached such a stage wherein visitors have stopped coming to our office as they are unwilling to walk though the slushy entrance,” he added.

Responding to queries, the Commission Chairman said, “The GHMC authorities tried to solve the problem twice, but failed on both the occasions. We have opened the office after four days as the stench was unbearable. Adding to our woes is the menace of mosquitoes which can be found in abundance on our premises as there is thick vegetation in the vicinity.”

He said officials informed him that some commercial and residential complexes in the neighbourhood had connected their sewer lines to the sewerage line of the SMC office. "GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy visited our office on Thursday and spoke to me on ways to resolve the issue. I am eagerly waiting for a meaningful solution from the GHMC chief to this vexatious problem," said Abid Rasool Khan.