HYDERABAD, Jan 9: A large number of people under the banner of Pasban staged a protest sit-in and burnt tyres on the Hala Naka road on Friday against the unhygienic conditions in their localities.

Speaking on the occasion, Mohammad Arshad Arain, Javed Qureshi, Jamil Ahmed Qureshi and others said the entire area of union council-I had been converted into refuse dumps and garbage was scattered on the lane and streets.

They complained that roads had disappeared and gutter water was flowing on the roads. They said no development work had been carried out in the UC. They demanded that the Nazim, Altaf Ghumman should be removed. They warned that if the situation was not rectified the people would continue their protest.

HESCO: The Hyderabad Electric Supply Company has refuted the allegations of WASA about frequent breakdowns of electricity at the water supply pumping stations which had seriously affected water supply to the citizens.

In a statement issued here on Friday, a spokesman of Hesco claimed the company had made alternate power supply arrangements at all the water supply pumping stations. He said the allegations of WASA about power breakdowns at the pumping stations were baseless.

HDA: The HDA director-general on Wednesday expressed concern over the slow pace of work being carried out under the annual development programme 2003-04 during a visit of various ADP-funded schemes in the city.

The schemes included the greater Hyderabad sewerage project, city drainage project,and supply of water to peripheral villages. He directed the engineers concerned to speed up the work so that immediate relief could be provided to the public.