By Suman Rodrigues
Hyderabad: Hundreds of investments, thousands of buildings, lakhs of IT professionals – Hitech City, once a USD 350 million symbol of Telangana’s tech-driven ambitions, now lies under a mountain-sized heap of construction debris, stretching across Deloitte Towers, IKEA Hyderabad, and Meenakshi Tech Park.
For IT employee Parth, his job is demanding and taxing. Hailing from Maharashtra, he was fascinated by videos of Hitech City and desired to work here. But now the impressions have worn down. “Whenever I look outside my office desk window to relax, I see this mountain, and it frustrates me,” he said.
Sai Kiran, who runs a canteen opposite the garbage, says the pile-up gives a bad first impression. “I have been seeing this debris mountain for at least two years now. Even a slight gust of wind blows dust, causing inconvenience to everybody,” he told Siasat.com.
Like Parth, one Hyderabadi resident, was encouraged by the imagery and decided this would be the best place for his family. “We bought a home because this area is a high-class region with all facilities, comfortable for my daughter and son who work in Hitech City. Now it’s only pollution,” said the frustrated local.
Siasat.com has learnt that the land is privately owned. Subba Rao, a contractor, claimed that the owners had allowed builders to dump debris there as part of the upcoming infrastructure work. A daily wage labourer, living near Mahalakshmi Tech Park, also said that tractors arrive periodically to unload waste such as beds, concrete slabs, POP structures and even broken commodes.
Kalpana Ramesh, an architect and founder of ‘The Rain Water Project,’ expresses her dismay over the pileup. “It is only getting bigger, neither recycled nor removed. Every time I pass by, I wonder what is going on,” she said.
“Thousands commute to work daily. If it were government-owned, we could approach officials. But this is private property. Nevertheless, no one is allowed to create a landfill in the middle of one of Hyderabad’s busiest and most populated tech corridors. You cannot let debris collection happen in the middle of habitation,” she said.
“By allowing this, the city’s air quality index (AIQ), which is already falling, will dip further. This is construction waste. Every gust of wind increases the particle content in the air, making it poorer day by day,” she said.
“These landfills should be on the outskirts, not in the heart of the city,” she said, adding, “There are designated dumping sites allotted in the outskirts of the city.”
For now, residents are left to deal with dust, odour and frustration. What was once a showcase of Hyderabad’s tech pride is now overshadowed by a debris mound that refuses to go away.
“When we talk about attracting investments, we want companies to see a world-class business district. But this gives a different picture,” said Sai Kiran.
