Hyderabad: Ahead of the Jubilee Hills bypoll, residents are urging the next elected representative to address long-pending civic issues in the constituency, which houses a mix of both upscale bungalows and congested slums.Despite being one of Hyderabad’s most high-profile localities, several pockets here struggle with potholed roads, contaminated water, open nalas, dysfunctional streetlights, and poor sanitation. Slum clusters such as Shaikpet, Rahmath Nagar, Yousufguda, Borabanda, and Erragadda remain particularly neglected.“When elections come, leaders visit our colony, hand out 1,000 per household, and promise to fix our problems. But look around, has anything changed?” asked 50-year-old Geetha Kaur, who runs a grocery store in Chhatrapati Shivaji Nagar, Erragadda, pointing to piles of garbage around her.Nearly 100 families in the colony echoed her frustration. “We have complained to leaders and civic officials for years, but nothing improves. We have been forced to live with mosquitoes, flies, and the stench from garbage dumps,” said resident B Sikhinder Singh.In Shaikpet — home to around 30,000 people — similar grievances persist. But here, the biggest complaint is the lack of public transport. Residents say RTC bus services have been absent for nearly six years. Earlier, three buses — 65S from Charminar, 142S from Koti, and 5SK from Secunderabad — served the locality, but were abruptly withdrawn.“They said the roads were too narrow and congested for buses,” said Siddha Raghunandan, a rice store owner from Sitanagar. “But people from here travel across the city for work. Bus connectivity would make life much easier. We have sent multiple petitions, but there’s been no response.”In the more “posh” stretches of Jubilee Hills — Srinagar Colony, Madhura Nagar, and Vengalarao Nagar — residents complain about rampant footpath encroachments by vendors and commercial establishments. Parks and playgrounds, they say, are also in disrepair.“We’ve complained to GHMC about encroachments. They clear them occasionally, but vendors return. It’s a never-ending problem,” said Arjun Kumar, vice-president of the Vengal Rao Residents’ Welfare Association. He added that two local parks — D-block and A-block — remain in shambles with no proper walking tracks or play equipment for children.Officials from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation acknowledged the concerns but insisted progress had been made.“We can’t fix everything at once. Compared to 10 years ago, facilities have improved significantly. We have sanctioned a Rs 30-crore development plan for Shaikpet and other areas,” said V Samaiah, deputy commissioner of the Jubilee Hills circle.RTC officials, meanwhile, attributed the withdrawal of bus services partly to the pandemic. “Many buses were discontinued during Covid, including some from Shaikpet. Since then, we have introduced new services on busier routes such as Gachibowli–Shaikpet. With most households owning cars now, it makes sense to prioritise routes where demand is higher,” said an RTC official from the Mehdipatnam depot.
