Five-star hotel in Hyderabad accused of illegally dumping debris, choking drain

Residents near the hotel had complained that they were facing a major drainage problem, as water was entering their cellar and stagnating.
Five-star hotel in Hyderabad accused of illegally dumping debris, choking drain
Five-star hotel in Hyderabad accused of illegally dumping debris, choking drain
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A sitting MLA in Hyderabad has pulled up the 5-star Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre, situated at Hitex in the city’s Kondapur area, for dumping sand and debris and obstructing a drain.

Serilingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi, along with authorities of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), got the debris removed and also ordered officials from the revenue department to file a police complaint against the hotel.

Speaking to TNM, the MLA said, “The issue was first brought to our notice by residents in the area who said that they were facing a major drainage problem, as water was entering their cellar and stagnating. They said that around one foot of water had gathered in their basement and they were using two motors to pump it out.”

The residents, living mostly in low-lying areas, said that water was constantly present in their parking lots.

The MLA said that he asked officials of the GHMC’s sanitation department to look into it, but they said that they could not fix the issue. 

“After repeated complaints, I gathered officials from the municipal body’s Town Planning wing, Revenue Department and police and visited the residents. They stated that this was happening as the hotel had dumped a lot of debris in the drain that leads to Mundikunta,” he said.

“The residents also claimed that the hotel was being arrogant and not willing to change its ways when they were approached,” the legislator added. 

Residents told officials that they feared that the stagnating water would eventually weaken the foundation pillars of their apartments and could even lead to a building collapse.

Drainage from the areas of Kondapur and Hafeezpet are mainly diverted to two water bodies. One is Mundikunta and the other is the Hafeezpet Cheruvu. 

“After meeting the residents, we went to the spot of the drain and saw that the allegations were true. We brought in JCB machines and restored the nala to its previous width, so that it resumed flowing on its natural course,” the MLA said.

He added that a revenue officer who accompanied the team also filed a complaint with the police.

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