Secunderabad Railway quarters wear a ghost town look

Highlights:

♦ Residents asked to vacate as Rlys wants to build new colonies

♦ Only one or two families residing in some buildings at present

♦ Rifle Range & Chilkalguda railway colonies resemble ghost towns

Secunderabad: Building No 546 in Chilkalguda is now almost empty. There is just one last occupant in the ground floor, J Nagamma, 59, who works at the Railway Printing Press. "All families vacated after we received a notice in April.

I am handicapped and unable to find a suitable ground floor place. I have been living here for the last 20 years. It is scary to stay here now," she said.

The buildings in Chilkalguda were full even till the late 90s, but the drainage system started giving way and several problems including seepage of water into the residential blocks started.

In 2016 several residents became ill and experienced gastrointestinal infection after consuming water. Raghavan, a railway employee, says, "The buildings have outlived their age. Chilkalguda and Rifle range colonies now look like a ghost town."

In some buildings, just one or two families are staying. In building number 1003 there is not a single family. South Central Railway Mazdoor Union (SCRMU) general secretary, Ch Shankar Rao says, "Not just the Rifle range and Chilkalguda colonies but even our union office would be demolished, but we have been promised a land opposite the headquarters."

He further adds, "After the 7th pay commission, employees started getting 22% HRA and many moved out, also the condition of the quarters started deteriorating."

The buildings were built 50-60 years ago. Lack of regular maintenance has taken a toll. Employees too started moving out to better localities with more facilities. Mohanan S, a retired railway employee reminisces, "Some of the independent blocks had an open area, one can still see in Rifle Range.

They were self-sufficient and neat. Though I did not live in any of the quarters in the city but have in Dornakal."