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Hyderabad: Without expanding the existing community halls, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation went ahead and authorized four more multi-purpose community halls in the Twin Cities.
Meanwhile, existing community halls are either overrun, used as Aadhaar or voting centers, or rented out by resident welfare associations for various occasions. Some are also used as party offices.
Most community halls are under the control of resident welfare associations. Since the GHMC zone officers do not maintain them, around 80 percent of the expenses are covered by the association. In many regions, three or four colonies share a community hall, and an association organized for the well-being of residents maintains the halls. However, in places like Sanath Nagar, these rooms are used for festive gatherings.
It has also been alleged that a few resident welfare associations rent out community halls from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation for various occasions and there is no record of the money collected, which is intended to be spent on the maintenance of rooms.
Mehdipatnam resident Mr. Shanth Arvind said, “At Mehdipatnam Community Hall, private parties have built a kitchen and it is used for various functions, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has yet to inspect the site.”
Meanwhile, residents of Arul settlement do not have access to the seized community hall, as the GHMC did not release it to residents despite an order from the High Court.
Mr Suresh Anthony, president of the Arul Colony Association, said the High Court asked the GHMC to return the community hall, but the company has filed an appeal to reconsider the orders made by a single divisional bench.
“They alleged that the community hall was being used for religious purposes. However, we explained that the room was given to private parties respecting all the terms and conditions, the colony has not had a community room for years, â€he said.
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