Urban renewal mission falls flat

Acute water crisis forces residents to shift back to city

Despite millions having been spent on constructing residential apartments under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme on the outskirts of Hyderabad, their occupants are deserting the apartments and flocking back to the city literally in droves propelled by the massive water crisis that has gripped the JNNURM colonies.

“As it is, those apartments lack a network of underground water supply. Now, even stray borewells that used to cater to our water requirements have literally turned bone dry with the onset of summer,” said G. Raj Kumar, a resident of Safilguda referring to the JNNURM flats on the city outskirts. “The water crisis there was so acute that we were forced to return to the city,” he added.

Like Kumar, there are thousands of people who have vacated their flats to shift back to the city.

The state government had even announced a `102 crore drinking water project for the (JNNURM) colonies, say migrant residents, adding, the project always remained a pipe dream for them.

A large number of families had vacated the flats long ago due to the absence of facilities like security, schools, 24-hour health clinics, proper transport facilities and the long distance from the flats to offices inside the city.

Quite a few families had stayed back in the flats braving all odds.

“We wanted to prove that our patience will pay off and all facilities will be provided by the government one day. But we have been proved wrong,” rued one resident.

Citizens also complained about lax security in the area, saying while there was an acute water crisis, alcohol and toddy were readily available.

Meanwhile, GHMC officials admitted that there was a possibility of the JNNURM flats turning into white elephants, with hardly any families still living in the colonies. The state government’s promise to provide water from the Manjira main line to the JNNURM flats has failed to cut ice with the residents.

Mayor Majid Hussain has said he would take up the issue with the government and the Water Board to ensure water supply to these areas.