Hyderabad: Ever since the October 2020 heavy rains caused floods in the city, Osman Nagar is one area that has not gotten any reprieve. Even now, 200 houses continue to be submerged in water and much of the area is still deserted as many residents had to pack up and leave due to the situation.
However, things are not as simple as they seem to be.
Siasat.com visited the distressed location, which is in an isolated poverty-stricken corner of Hyderabad to find out what is going on since last year, when water had not receded fully.
Apart from alleging apathy from the side of the authorities, residents of Osman Nagar expressed concern as to how they would spend the month of Ramzan while grappling with multiple issues. Locals also said that they were anxious about the monsoon season approaching after June, as they would again have to leave their homes and go elsewhere given that their homes will get fully submerged again.
Khayyum Bii, a resident of the area told Siasat.com that the situation was a ”conspiracy” to take away their land. “The authorities are intentionally not solving the water problem when they easily can, as they want land prices here to drop. They want people to lose hope so that the land mafia can take over easily,” she added.
The woman however added that no matter how hard things get, she will not give up and lose hope. “We are not selling our houses. We are going nowhere and will stay here until our last breath. The land mafia will not win,” she remarked.
Another resident Soghra Begum said that her world has been turned upside down in the last two years. “We are homeless despite having a house. We don’t have food to eat, we don’t have clothes to wear and this is taking place due to the irresponsibility and ignorance of the government,” she said, angrily.
Aside from the stagnant water, residents also have to deal with drainage and mosquitoes that have made life unbearable in Osman Nagar. “Local leaders come here every few days, show their faces and then going back without taking any substantial action,” Begum lamented.
