Hyderabad: The Salar Jung Bridge in Dar-ul-Shifa has turned into a slippery mess, causing accidents in the rainy season and forcing commuters to take another route to reach their respective destinations. Witnessing the regular incidents due to the existence of the garbage point and the hazardous open dumping yard, residents urged to shift the Secondary Collection and Transfer Point (SCTP) located in Old City to the city outskirts.
With the recent rains, and the garbage point, the slush spread on the bridge has been creating an inconvenience to the commuters, as the GHMC does not bother to clean the stretch. Residents also said that due to the hazardous environment, the entire locality and surroundings of the Old City has been facing difficulties and life has become a living hell, thanks to the nauseating stench and uncontrolled mosquito menace.
According to the commuters, the bridge is slippery during the rainy season due to garbage slush on the road, which makes it risky to travel. Each year, several incidents are reported, and the bridge also closes during heavy rains. “A large number of accidents have occurred where the commuters skidded due to the slippery road. Several deaths were also reported in recent years,” pointed out Mohammed Ahmed, a resident of Dabeerpura.
The residents on several occasions gave a representation to the GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, GHMC Commissioner, and Zonal Commissioner (Charminar) to shift the garbage station to the non-residentials areas, but their plea was unheard and commuters and residents continue to suffer.
Ahmed said, “In the recent rains, at least 3-4 bikes were seen skidding on the bridge on a continuous basis. In one such accident, an elderly man and a girl received severe injuries.”
Chakali Shailender, a regular commuter and resident of Imlibun, said that the garbage station collects around 1,500 metric tonnes of garbage daily from parts of Old City, and daily hundreds of garbage vans shift the garbage in this garbage point, resulting in a slippery road. The bridge is the only route to Dar-ul-Shifa and the surrounding areas. “The GHMC can at least clean the muck from the road daily to ensure it is not slippery. This can save the commuters from skidding and accidents,” Shailender pointed out.
Moreover, the residents also said that the environment has become hazardous due to open dumping yard located in residential area, as the garbage holds deadly insects and mosquitoes, resulting in the spread of diseases, apart from emitting a foul smell. The garbage station must be shifted from the residential area to the city outskirts, they urged.
Firasat Baqri, a resident of Noor Khan Bazar said, “The dumping yard has become a disaster to the people residing nearby. The residents are suffering from vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, dehydration and other diseases. Children, especially, are being affected the most.”
