Secunderabad Cantonment left in the lurch despite flood relief to citizens

Though all the wards were subjected to the flood fury, the most-affected areas were Kukatpally, Bowenpally, Rasulpura, SAIL Colony and Laxmi Colony.
Osman Nagar submerged in rainwater in Hyderabad. (Photo| Vinay Madapu, EPS)
Osman Nagar submerged in rainwater in Hyderabad. (Photo| Vinay Madapu, EPS)

HYDERABAD: The torrential rains that lashed the city over a week ago have left several parts of Hyderabad crippled. The Secunderabad Cantonment (SC) is one among the many affected areas, and also one of the most neglected when it comes to relief, claim residents. The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) is seeking special assistance from the State government to handle the flood situation in the area. 

According to the SCB officials, almost half of the SC, which houses more than two lakh people in seven different wards, was badly hit by the deluge. Several colonies in many low-lying areas were inundated, and frequent power outages left residents in the dark for hours.

The slums were ravaged, and their residents displaced. A loss of more than Rs 90 to Rs 100 crore was incurred in the SC area due to the floods, said the officials. Though all the wards were subjected to the flood fury, the most-affected areas were Kukatpally, Bowenpally, Rasulpura, SAIL Colony and Laxmi Colony.

Normalcy not restored 

G Sravan Kumar, a resident of Ward 4, said that waterlogging continued to plague many colonies in the ward. "As the SCB officials turned a deaf ear to our pleas, we pooled in money to buy electric motors to pump out water," he said. 

Satish, a social activist and president of Secunderabad Welfare Organisation said, "It’s been more than 10 days since the rains, and a few areas of Ward 5 are in complete darkness. The water has now receded and there has been no heavy rains. Despite that, power has not been restored in our area."

Speaking to Express, Ajit Reddy, SCB chief executive officer, said, "The flood struck us like lightning, even though we tried preparing for it. There has been major damage to roads, drains and other public property. Though water has receded from most pockets, many parts are marred by sludge."

"We are doing our best to restore normalcy. But the truth is, unlike GHMC, we do not adequate resources at our disposal, in terms of equipment, manpower and funds. As we do not have any rescue teams, we coordinated with locals to rescue over 3,000 people," he added. 

Call for help 

Seeking help from the State government, SCB CEO said, "The State government is getting financial aid from other States and the Centre. We want some help too, to get SCB back on its feet." He further said, "Two of the main reasons for the floods in the SC is rampant encroachment and a poor drainage system."

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