Slum A Nightmare For Jubilee Hills Residents In Hyderabad

Hyderabad city's posh area Jubilee Hills, part is now becoming a slum area with atleast 500 migrated families are living in their hut-type temporary shelters. 

Among the plush bungalows of Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad city at Road Number 5 and 7 lies a three-acre slum pocket which is becoming a nightmare for residents with increasing security risks and health concerns. 
    
The scene at Road Number 7 brought to light the striking contrast between the two groups, with palatial houses flanked by streets strewn with garbage all around, several auto rickshaws lining the streets and rows of small huts facing it. Residents complain about the unhygienic conditions prevailing in the area as a result of the daily activities of the slum dwellers. “They defecate and urinate right on the streets in front of our houses besides dumping all kinds of rotting waste,” complained R Shyamala, another resident of the area. 
    
“They sometimes burn large heaps of rubbish too near our house and we are forced to inhale the toxic fumes causing various problems like dust allergy, cough and risk of asthma attacks to the inhabitants of our building,” she added. 
    
B S Srinivasan, secretary of the Jubilee Hills Residents Welfare Association said things went from bad to worse in the past one year itself with a rising threat to the security of the residents. “A few days ago I saw one of the boys from the slum climbing up a tree in front of my house and trying to jump into the first floor of the building. They pose a serious threat to our belongings,” said Srinivasan. Members said the association has been planning for quite some time to construct a compound wall to make the colony a gated community so that they don’t need to employ separate security guards for each house. But with the slum situated right inside the premises, that plan has been put on hold indefinitely, they said. 
    
Locals ruedinaction of the municipalofficials andthe police in the matter and they said the people living in the slum have backing from local leaders which is the main reason behind the lack of action. 
    
Srinivasan said parking cars outside the house has become a big worry as there were cases of petrol and other parts being stolen from vehicles. “Not just stealing, they indulge in other illegal activities too and create problems after consuming alcohol,” he said. Although residents maintained that the nearly Rs 100 crore worth land on which the slum is situated belonged to a private owner, inhabitantsof thelandclaimeditwas government property and they had permission to live there. The slum dwellers in turn blamed the residents for blocking roads with stones and large flower pots to keep them away from their houses. 
    
“We have been living here for 40 years and we are not doing anything illegal,” said Manu Naik, president of the slum association. 
    
Srikanth Reddy, a resident, narrated a recent incident where the slum dwellers got into a heated argument with him after he objected to parking the autos near his house. “We hope the government rehabilitates them somewhere else soon,” he said.