Three years after 16 people died from drinking contaminated water, the government has not relocated the hazardous industries from Bholakpur in Musheerabad.
The AP State Human Rights Commission had directed the authorities to shift the industrial units, particularly those dealing in the animal skin business, plastic and scrap outside city limits after the May 2009 tragedy and representations were made, pointing to the pollution-causing units.
Though a high-level committee, comprising district collectors of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy, GHMC and HMDA commissioners, environmentalists and Pollution Control Board scientists, was formed to convince the traders to shift to the city’s outskirts, the move has not yet been executed.
The government had allocated 44 acres for the relocation of 600 hazardous units in Bholakpur to Rampally village in Keerasara mandal of Ranga Reddy district, but a senior official said other obstacles presented themselves.
Then Hyderabad district collector N. Gulzar said that the Rampally land was outside GHMC limits and GHMC would need to take permission from its elected body to provide civic infrastructure.
“For animal skin merchants, we have to identify other land. It will take some time but it will be done,” he added.