Long-suffering residents of Bachupally, Madinaguda, Kukatpally, Nallagandla and Nizampet say their repeated representations and protests have done little to improve the situation. In all these areas, the pharmaceutical industry has seen unregulated growth.

"My 60-year-old mother-in-law started developing throat infections after moving to Madinaguda from Anantapur a year ago. . When she lived outside for a while, her condition improved significantly. She is now moving back to Anantapur," said Prashant Kongati, manager of software engineering department at an MNC.

Even the market value of properties in this area has fallen, say residents. "The situation has become so severe that I am not even able to go out for a walk in the evening. Suffering like this due to industrial pollution has convinced me that it is time to move out of Hyderabad. But it's not simple as the value of my flat in Hill County has dipped due to the pollution. When we moved here nearly three years ago, the market value stood at Rs 3,500 per sq ft. Now, this has dipped to Rs 2,900 per sqft," said Sucheta Swain, a resident of Hill County in Bachupally.

"Toxic gases now reach my home in Nallagandla, making it impossible to lead a healthy life. I will move out of Hyderabad if the situation does not improve in six months," said Hari Dubey, a resident.

Officials of the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) asserted that they are taking steps to check pollution. "We have decided to constitute location-wise teams comprising police officers, officials of TSPCB and the revenue department and asked them to conduct random inspections on industries. We have also decided to install CCTV cameras in the Jeedimetla area and monitor the feed. The idea is to educate industries instead of simply shutting them down," said N Raveendhar, senior environmental scientist, TSPCB.