MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao holding a meet with GHMC staff over monsoon preparedness on Tuesday | Express photo
HYDERABAD: Expressing severe displeasure over delay in implementing monsoon related works, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) K T Rama Rao on Tuesday pulled up GHMC officials and directed them to take immediate steps to desilt the storm water drains, nalas, demolition of dilapidated buildings, removal of unauthorised structures that have come up along the nalas. An angry KTR at one point of time, asked the officials, who are lethargic in discharging their duties properly, to go on leave, “if they are not ready to address people’s issues.”
The minister held a review meeting with GHMC officials and discussed about road restoration works, desilting of nalas, critical bottle necks, waterlogging points, action plan with regard to monsoon preparedness. He wanted the officials to have regular meetings coordinate with each other and take up the works on priority. He also directed the police to coordinate with the GHMC for taking up road restoration works.
For administrative convenience and to ensure better civic amenities in GHMC limits and towards decentralisation of powers, the State Government proposes to increase the number of Circles and Zones across the GHMC. The Minister directed GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy to carry out a detailed exercise for increasing Circles from the present 30 to 50 and Zones from the present 6 to 10 and submit a report. Each Circle will have three municipal wards.
Inspite of instructions on ban of single use plastic, the Minister said plastic water bottles and others plastic materials are still being used in the offices.
In the light of several developmental works like Strategic Road Development Plan, 2 BHK which require acquisition of land, Rama Rao said that a special Land Acquisition Wing will be established in the GHMC. As district collectors were busy with other works, they are not able to give enough time to land acquisitions and hence it was proposed to created a separate wing for land acquisition wing in the GHMC, he said.
