Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao said a Clean Air Authority is being considered for the Greater Hyderabad, on the lines of similar authority in Tokyo city of Japan.
He made this announcement during Question Hour of the ongoing Assembly session on Tuesday, while responding to a query by MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi and his party colleagues over rising pollution levels in the GHMC area.
Mr. Rao also agreed to Mr. Owaisi’s demand for a meeting of the city legislators to discuss the issue threadbare and devise solutions.
He, however, said, the city is ranked the best in terms of quality of life by various agencies and has relatively better air quality index than many other Indian cities. He listed out various measures taken by the Telangana Government for pollution control, which include shifting of industries outside the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and setting up sewage treatment plants.
Legislators G. Kishan Reddy, and N.V.V.S. Prabhakar raised questions pertaining to devolution of funds to the panchayats and village local bodies being forced to pay pending power bills with the funds, which created some commotion.
Minister Jupally Krishna Rao in his reply said the responsibility to pay power bills lay with the panchayats according to the 14th Finance Commission rules.
Funds allocated to the village panchayats under the 14th Finance Commission were Rs. 1139.78 crore in 2014-15, and Rs. 580.34 crore was the basic grant allocated in 2015-16, he said.
Getting around the question on the State Government’s allotment, Mr. Rao said that the Government has been spending far higher amounts for water supply and roads and buildings than the previous government.
When Mr. Kishan Reddy and Mr. Prabhakar protested, Finance Minister Eatala Rajender intervened, and said it was one nation and differentiating between state funding and central funding was not appropriate. Mr. Kishan Reddy, however, expressed his protest over the Government’s attitude towards village development.
The House also decided for a short discussion on ‘School Education’, in response to a question by Congress member D.K. Aruna on dwindling admissions in government schools due to lack of facilities.
Remaining queries pertained to leather park proposed at Station Ghanpur, new agricultural power connections, and strengthening of the TSRTC.
During Zero Hour, legislator J. Geeta Reddy urged the Government to promote millets by including them in the Public Distribution System. Karnataka Government has begun to do it, she said.
Pasha Quadri, MLA, brought the issue of footpath vendors being evicted by the GHMC and Traffic Police and demanded alternative arrangements.
The Telangana (Transfer of Pending Cases of State of Telangana from the AP Administrative Tribunal to High Court of Judicature of Hyderabad) Bill, 2016 was introduced by Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on behalf of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
