Hyderabad: Government quarters which once housed employees of state government and High Court on a sprawling 80-acre land at Malakpet lies in a state of utter neglect. Most of its residents vacated the buildings and shifted to private accommodation after 2014.

The area, however, retains its lush greenery, playing a vital role in maintaining the city’s biodiversity and microclimate. Thousands of fully grown trees in the area cools down the temperature by at least 4­° Celsius. However, its crumbling buildings and sparse public movement have converted this area into a hideout for anti-social elements.

The previous BRS government laid the foundation stone for the construction of a 30-storey IT tower on 10 acres of government quarters land. It also promised to generate a whopping 50,000 jobs but no construction occurred beyond laying the foundation.

Residents of nearby colonies, which are part of the Old City, were hopeful about gaining from the IT boom, but nothing was done.

Anjum Fatima, who lives near Sapota Bagh, said that she shudders passing through this area to reach the Malakpet main road, as many alcoholics and drug addicts have taken shelter in the dilapidated houses. Mohd Arif, who was accompanying her, noted that the police have installed a few CCTV cameras at main junctions, but these hardly cover the entire area.

Pentaiah, a cobbler who runs a shoe repair shop in the area, said that many anti-social elements have stolen doors, windows, and iron grills from the abandoned buildings in the evenings due to a lack of streetlights. These stolen items found their way to scrap stores.

Venkateshwar Rao, a resident of nearby Madhav Nagar Colony, said that the government has relocated some GHMC offices, including the entomology wing, ward office, Aadhaar centre, and traffic police department, to a few buildings that remain in good condition.

However, he urged the government to implement a permanent solution by constructing multi-storey buildings to house all government offices and IT towers. This, he argued, would benefit the people in the region and also save the rent for the government.