Garbage yard turns bane for booming Uppal biz hub

Hyderabad: Thanks to 'Look East' policy announced by the Telangana government to spread Hyderabad in the eastern direction, the Uppal X Road area is slowly emerging as a pivotal point now. The presence of two metro stations - Uppal and Nagole, the headquarters of L&T Hyderabad Metro and a host of commercial establishments goes on to showcase its growth potential as Hyderabad's future business hub.

But sadly, things don't appear to be so rosy as Nagole Garbage Transfer Station, located just a few metres away from the world-class Nagole Metro Station, is raising a stink, undermining the prime locality's future prospects. Passengers who use this metro station are also in a bind.

"Every day, hundreds of garbage-loaded vehicles throng the roads leading to the garbage centre which is near the staircase of the metro station. As a result, garbage is everywhere here - on the roads, in the open places and whatnot. We are living in hell as a foul smell haunts us round the clock. Customers are also shunning our shop, saying there is an unbearable stink in the area. What to do?" Sanjay, a trader who sells marble products in a nearby shop, lamented.

The marble trader is not the lone sufferer. Sai, who runs a dealership adjacent to the sprawling garbage centre, said that the garbage station turned out to be bane for his business as well. "Auto trolley drivers bring garbage from far away areas and dump it in the open places around the dump yard. They don't even care if we plead with them not to dump the garbage in open places and on the roads. We are sandwiched between the big garbage dump on one side and the Musi river on the other".

According to local traders, many commercial establishments and shops shut operations in the locality due to this problem. Metro rail passengers say using Nagole Metro Station leaves a bitter taste thanks to the garbage dump. "Nauseating smell engulfs us whenever we use this metro station. It's better not to use it," said Ramana Rao, a regular metro user.

According to a person handling operations at the garbage station, more than 400 vehicles including auto trolleys, tractors, and other vehicles, bring garbage from various colonies in Saroornagar and other localities, and dump it at the transfer station from where the garbage is transported in large trucks to the main garbage dump yard at Jawaharnagar.

Interestingly, GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) has recently built a new garbage transfer station with advanced equipment in the Uppal industrial area. It was widely expected that all the garbage transfer operations would be shifted from here to the new location and a park would be developed in the land after the relocation. But that did not happen as only garbage coming from just two circles was shifted to the new location. It is said that a senior GHMC official is stalling the relocation efforts without any valid reason.

"GHMC should shift all the garbage operations from here and develop this place into a park because it is very close to the Nagole Metro Station and near the LB Nagar-Uppal X Road. Developing a park is also essential to protect the prime land," a resident said.