Tellapur community seeks action on healthcare access, teacher shortages

Hyderabad: Tellapur Neighborhood Association (TeNA) residents, which covers around 55 communities in the Tellapur and Nallagandla areas, have expressed increasing frustration over the lack of basic civic amenities. In a recent letter to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, they called for urgent action to address these civic issues and provide essential services to the community.

While speaking with the Hyderabad Mail, Ramana Eshwaragari, president of TeNA, highlighted the disparity between the municipality’s financial status and the quality of facilities available to residents. “Tellapur Municipality is the richest municipality with the poorest facilities,” he said. “We request that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and officials take immediate steps to address these issues, especially given that residents pay some of the highest taxes in the region.”

Over 28,000 families in Tellapur, including more than 3,000 migrant labor families, need affordable healthcare facilities. The absence of the 108 ambulance service worsens the problem. The residents are requesting the allocation of at least one ambulance to serve the community.

He stated that the lack of teaching staff in government schools in Tellapur and Gopanapally Thanda is negatively impacting children’s education. Even though the schools reopened over a month ago, this problem has not been resolved. TeNA has requested immediate action to address the staff shortage. Additionally, establishing a reliable drinking water supply in Tellapur is still pending. He urged the relevant officials to expedite the provision of water connections to residents.

He mentioned that Tellapur currently lacks a proper drainage system, with insufficient outlets for wastewater and rainwater. Despite the HMDA collecting fees for drainage development when granting permissions, no plans have been made for a suitable drainage system. Significant road development issues persist, including stalled progress on the RR-30 Extension road, incomplete internal roads, and poor conditions of existing roads like the Mayfair-Osmannagar road. Additionally, the completion of Link Road 152, connecting Vattinagulapalli to Osman Nagar, is urgently needed to improve traffic flow.

The President of TeNA mentioned that the Tellapur Electric Substation site has been allocated, but construction has not started yet. There is also an unrealized proposal to establish STP plants near the ORR to facilitate wastewater recycling. The area is facing several security and environmental concerns. Firstly, the lack of CCTV cameras and street lighting is affecting residents’ security. Additionally, groundwater pollution is occurring due to the dumping of animal waste and plastic. Furthermore, there is a need for fencing around lakes to prevent littering.

He has criticized the high property taxes in Tellapur, as they are assessed based on registration or land value, unlike the ARV-based system used in most other parts of the city. The association has previously requested a uniform property tax system and a reduction in taxes.

Eshwaragari said, “Simply constructing buildings with bricks, mortar, and steel is not sufficient to make our area desirable. It is essential to provide civic amenities such as roads, drinking water, sewerage, uninterrupted power supply, green spaces, and medical facilities. We urge the officials to concentrate on the comprehensive development of the Tellapur area.”