HYDERABAD, July 20: The city has assumed the look of a dumping ground with heaps of garbage lying at every nook and corner. These not only create problems for passers-by but also pose serious health hazards. Main roads blocked with garbage, chocked drains and unbearable stink greet people who venture out when necessary.

The agency responsible for keeping the city clean blames shortage of funds.

Civil Hospital, Liberty Plaza, Cloth Market and adjoining areas of the city have been reduced to nurseries of flies and mosquitoes.

Abdul Jameel Khan, who lives in Liberty Plaza, said that waste disposal vehicles don’t show up sometimes for days and sanitary staff and drivers say the area is not in their jurisdiction. The head of sanitary staff sends a refuse vehicle when the quantity of garbage doubles and half of it is left to rot.

Abdul Waheed of Pak Colony said monsoon was due but the city won’t be able to withstand even one heavy rainfall because of the chocked drainage and sewerage system.

Municipal Commissioner Azhar Qadir Memon said the budget for fuel was insufficient to run 20 garbage trucks. “Municipal authorities owe about Rs7 million to the contractor who has refused to provide diesel.”

Provincial government releases only Rs32 million a month to municipal authorities for salaries, pension and other allowances while the requirement is of Rs35 million. The deficit of Rs3 million is covered by municipal taxes and fees leaving nothing for fuel, he said.

“Employees of the Hyderabad Municipal Authority have not received their salaries for two months because of government’s failure to release funds.”

The condition in Latifabad and Qasimabad, he said, might be different.

Delay in issuing notification about the status of municipal administration whether it is under the Municipal Corporation based on commissioner system or still under the Taluka Municipal Administration, a component of the district government system — has complicated the situation.