Hyderabad: Fear of high taxes haunts Shankarpally residents

Hyderabad: People of Shankarpally are hopeful of development after it was made as a municipality but also fear of increasing taxes in the coming days. The residents wanted proper drainage system and drinking water facility and also employment for the youth in the municipality. Shankarpally has been a Gram Panchayat since 1965 and was converted into a municipality in August 2019 by the government by merging villages including Chinnashankarpally, Singapur, Bulkapur, Fatehpur and Himayatpur. The municipality has 15 wards and a population of over 20,000. One ward (Ward No 2) was has gone to TRS by virtue of unanimous election.

The locals said that the municipality lacks proper drainage system and also water supply. The residents particularly, women said they are made to travel far distance to get water from a public tap. A woman resident S Lavanya said that they were facing problems like drinking water and drainage. "We are made to travel to far areas to get water from a public tap. There are no streetlights in the locality and it is scary for women to collect water during night time," said Lavanya. The authorities have laid pipelines for Mission Bhagiratha but there is no drinking water supply yet and as a result many are purchasing water, she said.

The locals also said that their family members go out of the village for employment. "There is no work here and people are forced to go out of the village in other parts like Hyderabad, Chevella, Sangareddy for livelihood. The government should provide employment to youth by encouraging industries," said an old aged woman Lakshmamma. A businessman A Venkata Chary from ward number 12 said that the people in the Shankarpally expect development after it became a municipality.

However, he said that present situation in the municipality was worse than the Gram Panchayat. "After the village was converted into municipality, the rents of the shutters and land value has increased and after elections, the authorities will increase taxes," said Venkata Chary. He stated that there is no government college in the municipality. The government talked of double bedroom for poor but not a single beneficiary was selected from the village, he alleged.

Parties are offering money to the voters and if someone is denying taking money, they are thinking that we are not going to vote for them," said Md Aleem, a fruit vendor. The TRS candidate in ward number 13 V Vijaya Lakshmi, who was also the former MPTC and presently the probable candidate for chairperson said that her aim was to make the municipality as 'Mini Hyderabad'.

Vijaya Lakshmi said that since she was MPTC earlier, she knows the problems of the people. "Many developmental activities were taken up during my tenure as MPTC. We gave our land for government school, market yard etc. People are happy with the TRS government and are assuring of voting to the party," she said. Chevella MLA K Yadaiah, who was also campaigning in the municipality told The Hans India that the party is going to win in all the 15 wards.

He said that the development activities of the TRS government are visible to the people. He mentioned that the schemes like Kalyana Lakshmi, pensions, KCR kit and others are reaching people and there was no doubt in the victory of TRS.