GHMC to complete desilting works by June 10

Hyderabad, June 3 (INN): The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has taken up desilting of 750 kilometers drain with a cost of Rs. 16.5 crore, in which almost all the works completed except in South and Central Zones, which will be completed by 10th June.

According to GHMC Commissioner MT Krishna Babu, to have a proper accounting of the desilting works every care is being taken such as video graphing the silt being deposited at Jawahar Nagar dumping yard and computerizing the measurement of weight to know the actual work done and for the settling the same.

He further said that this care being taken by keeping in view of the past experience with the contractors and the process may be delayed but quality of the work will definitely improve, he added.

The Commissioner also said that feed back is coming from the concerned Corporators for the work taken up in their wards and most of the Corporators expressed their satisfaction of the desilting works.

The Commissioner also said that GHMC has identified 153 water stagnation points in the busy areas out of which 108 stagnation points have already been improved in main areas, about Rs. 15 crores proposals have already been sanctioned for the improvement of stagnation points and works are in progress.

Krishna Babu said that main nalas have been improved a lot especially Murki Nala is one of the major nala where works have taken up extremely well and with regard to Balkapur nala the works could not be taken up to the expectations due to lot of encroachments and non cooperation from the people of that area.

The Commissioner said that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has given instructions to improve nalas on priority basis keeping in view of the onset of monsoon and to widen all the nalas wherever necessary by duly removing encroachments.

The Commissioner further said that the Chief Minister has directed to provide houses to the effected people in the JNNURM housing scheme. He also said that reallocation allowance for the effected people is also being planned from the 6 months.

While responding to the questions raised by the media persons after the Prajavani programme, the Commissioner said that footpaths are provided for the pedestrians to walk safely but it has been observed that most of the footpaths are being encroached by the shop owners by parking their vehicles. He has also informed that GHMC can levy penalties on footpath violators as per the act provisions.

Responding to the query of media persons regarding Lokayukta's intervention (i.e., no involvement of government institutions in distribution of fish medicine) in connection with fish medicine, the Commissioner said that it is the prime responsibility of urban local body to see health and sanitation is being maintained whenever there is a mass gathering.

The Commissioner said that GHMC by duly coordinating with the traffic police regularly inspecting and imposing challans to the people who are encroaching the footpaths to curb this type of menace.

He further directed the Zonal Commissioner (Central), basing on the complaints received in Prajavani to take up a special drive on the main corridors by removing encroachments and imposing fines on them, where renowned shops are misusing the provision of foot paths and cellars.