SECUNDERABAD: Ward No. VII (Trimulgherry) in Secunderabad Cantonment is a small civilian ward with only 15 residential colonies. But people here have been struggling with several major issues, unresolved for years.
VVIPs pass through the area regularly: Presidents (till 2010) used to pass on Rajiv Rahadari, which connected Trimulgherry to Rashtrapati Nilayam; even Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao regularly passes through this area to go to his Gajwel assembly constituency.
Yet, pleas from this ward have been left unheard. After years of neglect, residents are demanding the merger of civil areas of the Cantonment Board with GHMC.
Among major issues is the overflowing Trimulgherry lake. Half a dozen residential colonies abutting the lake were inundated in 2020 floods. This angered residents who requested the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) to protect them. Even a year on, however, there has been no change. The lake remains a cesspool and fear of inundation owing to rains remains.
“The lake has become a mosquito breeding centre. The SCB has turned a blind eye. We are fed up with their attitude,” Venkata Ramana, an RTI activist and resident of Malani Enclave, told TOI.
Another issue is the shifting of garbage transit point out of the area. Locals along with former ward member, P Bhagya Sree, also protested this, but their efforts have been futile.
Rajendra Kumar, a resident of Shastri Nagar said, “This issue was also brought to the notice of Ministry of Defence (MoD) apart from Cantonment Board officials, but in vain. Residents of Shastrinagar and two other slums — situated few meters away from this garbage dump — cannot live with the stink, particularly during the rainy season.”
Infrastructure in this ward is also in shambles. An football playground — on the way to Lal Bazar from Trimulgherry Crossroads — produced nearly 200 talented players. But it is now a mere cattle grazing ground. “The playground must be revived and for practice. The local defence authorities and SCB officials have to help youngsters show their talent at the national level,” Harry Francis, a national football player, who practised on this ground, said. Civilians in the area also face road restrictions. Two civilian roads have been restricted by the ‘local military authority’ (LMA).
