How to make the city liveable

HYDERABAD:  What should the citizens, administration and stakeholders of the city do to make it liveable and aspire to turn world class? The three-hour round table discussion as part of the India Infrastructure Dialogue held at the Institution of Engineers, Khairatabad, on Wednesday  sought answers to this million dollar question. The discussion began with moderator Karuna Gopal, founder of Futuristic Cities, state that the city of

Hyderabad seems to focus only one leg of the tripod of the development and this should be fixed. “Economic development, environment development and equity are the three legs of a city’s tripod and we seem to be standing only on the first,” she said. Saying that the GHMC is among the richest corporations in the country, she questioned why we still lack the amenities that can make us a world class dream city.

City activist D Narasimha Reddy from Chetana Society talked about how the city has now 150-feet roads but zero feet for the cyclist tracks. “In 1980, we had a mandate that said three-feet of the road should be allocated to cyclists, Today it has disappeared. How then can we think of eco-friendly and low fuel transport alternatives?” 

Dr Venkatram, a health specialist and activist, said that the city does not need Wi-Fi spots. “We need 100 Osmania hospitals, 100 Gandhi hospitals and 100 Nims Hospitals, Let us focus on the essentials.” Adding to what he said, mental health specialist Dr Poornima Nagaraja said we also need mental health facilities such as Erragadda Hospital in the city. Environmental engineer Keshav Reddy spoke about the need to curb air pollution to prevent health complications. 

Former CII chairman Vanita Datla said it was time to have zoning in the city wherein the city corporation makes sure the industrial estates remain so. “We should also have pollution treatment plans in industrial estates in the city for the safety of both industries and the citizens.”  Dr. K Laxman MLA President, BJP, Telangana State, suggested having a vision and all departments working together in cohesion to take the city forward. Gangadhar Tilak Katnam, known as the Pothole Doctor in the city for his voluntary work in filling potholes on city roads, said that we don;t need great technology to fix our roads. “Even if the traffic cop who mans a few roads is sensitive to it and reports it to the GHMC that can help us have good roads. Let’s keep our eyes and ears open to find practical solutions instead of trying to create cutting edge apps,” he said.

GHMC Corporator Ayesha Rubina said small interventions can resolve problems. She spoke about how the GHMC’s intervention in helping clear the debris after a house construction can help prevent flooding during heavy rains.GHMC Commissioner Dr Janardhan Reddy said, “The city generates 5,000 metric tonnes of garbage every day. We are able to manage lifting and dealing with this, but to expect us to deal with legacy problems that is dump yards created years ago would mean that much more expenditure for which we currently don’t have a budget.”

Addressing the complaints on hawkers encroaching walkways and roads, he said that they will deal with it sensitively as their livelihood depends on it. These dialogues between stakeholders  give an opportunity for a city to revisit city priorities, investment decisions and reform areas - They hold promise for collective action as they are vibrant platforms for ‘two way’ communication between city leaders and key stakeholders of the city, Karuna concluded.