Ms Devika, from Rolling Hills, Hyderabad, is a winner of the Rise High awards for the category, Initiatives outside the gate. She mentioned how they came together and transformed a huge open waste dump area outside their gate into a lush green pasture and stopped sewage overflow free community roads.

1. Initiatives
Outside
Gate
Working Together is Success!
Devika Ashrit
Joint Secretary, Rolling Hills House Owners
Association
Presented for ADDA Rise High
Awards 2018

4. Key milestones in our journey and
partners...- Entire stretch of filthy roadside turned into tree plantation area during Haritha Haram -
Telangana Govt.
- Area fenced, maintained by us; illegal shops cleared, illegal parking/debris dumping
activity stopped - GHMC
- Roads leading into Rolling Hills installed with concrete dividers which regulates unruly severe
traffic; another legally disputed filthy road stretch cleared of all debris and trash - Traffic Police
- Jackets and batons provided for the security guards to regulate the traffic for easy entry and exit
by the residents during peak traffic hours - Traffic Police
- Residential neighbor Smondo was made to construct two stormwater chambers with grills to
stop the solid garbage coming from the nearby basti - MP, GHMC Commissioners, Patel Realty
- Next steps: Inter Committee Meet (between 4 large neighbourhood Associations) setup on
September 9, 2018 to address the road widening and avenue plantation issues of disputed stretch
- Meenakshi Bamboos, Meenakshi Trident, Ramky Towers

5. Setting
Context...
● Premium residential area in close proximity to Hi-Tech City
● Extremely high traffic neighbourhood (Yes, the one you saw in IKEA viral
pics!)
● Located at end of a high traffic connecting street but not dead end!
● Mix of residential, commercial and large office spaces surrounding us - lots of
people and vehicle movement adjoining the gate
● Surrounded by bastis with large open drains where people dump
everything (including dead dogs!)

6. Problem - High Traffic, High Development, Mixed
Residential
● Sorry state of road stretch in front of Rolling Hills (facing Ramky Towers)
○ Illegal roadside shops
○ Construction debris dumped overnight
○ Lots of trash
○ Open toilet
○ Eyesore
○ Security risk
● Metro re-routes and new commercial complexes (IKEA)
○ Traffic increased multifold
● Single lane narrow roads acting as high traffic connecting road
○ Unruly 4 lane traffic during peak hours
● Sewage and trash through storm water drains from bastis
○ Overflowing drains with open filth lying on community roads
○ Stink and severe health issues
○ Unusable roads during monsoons - cleaning adding up expenses!

7. Solution 1 - Filthy roadside -> Avenue
Plantation● Clear
○ Trash removal
○ Debris removal with JCB
○ Removal of illegal parking and tea shops
○ Prep the area for plantation
● Transform
○ 500 saplings from Haritha Haram - loaded, transported and planted
○ 2 supervisor, 16 garden staff, 6 residents
○ 4 rows of plants in the large stretch planted in a day
● Protect
○ Fence the plants to protect from monsoon/animals
○ Fence the entire area to protect from further debris/trampling/parking
● Maintain
○ Garden staff entry through a locked gate
○ Maintained regularly with treated water

11. Solution 2 - Unruly single lane traffic -> Two way
traffic
● Road widening to a small margin by clearing debris
● Installing traffic cones, followed by concrete dividers to regulate traffic flow
● Traffic batons and jackets to Rolling Hills security to stop traffic to allow
vehicles inside
● Debris and trash removed on the road side for further works

16. Solution 3 - Overflowing sewage-> Rainwater
flow● Push from Municipality
○ No initial cooperation from Smondo constructions
○ Letter from MP to Municipal Commissioner
○ Representation from Association to GHMC Offices
○ Visits from Zonal and Circle Commissioner teams
○ Discussion of potential ways to solve issue
○ Notice issued from GHMC to Smondo/Patel Realty
● Follow up with Patel Realty
○ Approval from Mumbai office for construction of two chambers with grills
● Follow up with Smondo Constructions
○ Discuss/provide the design of the chamber and dimensions of the grill
○ First one done at the point of intersection of basti - Smondo
○ Clearing up of debris in the chamber and channels from before
○ Second one done at point of intersection of Smondo - Rolling Hills
● Maintain/Monitor chamber until
completion○ Pictures every alternate day of chamber condition
○ Clearing the debris coming into Rolling Hills chamber regularly by
Smondo
labor

23. Impact
● Vast green space maintained by Rolling Hills outside the community gates
● Two eyesore stretches on the adjoining roadside being dealt with responsibly
● Still high traffic but not unruly - avoiding any accidents while entering/exiting the gate
● Sewage overflow free community roads during monsoons
● Bringing together neighbouring Associations to address common issues jointly