GHMC chief promises clean, green city for CoP

M.T. Krishna Babu assures that the works are going to be qualitative and not merely cosmetic

GHMC Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu in Hyderabad. Photo: G.Ramakrishna

In a month’s time, the capital will be hosting the Conference of Parties (CoP) international bio-diversity summit and the heat is on the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Along with its regular work, the civic body has to deck up the city by improving key roads, drains, signages, greenery and so on.

GHMC Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu admits to delays but is confident of completing most works on time. He also assures that the works are going to be qualitative and not merely cosmetic in this interview.

Works cleared

We have cleared works costing upto Rs.170 crore. These include recarpeting roads across 125 km on the 21 corridors, footpaths, storm water drains, greenery, street lighting and three new roads leading at the HICC. We will try to complete works to the maximum extent possible before the start of the summit or will continue after it.

Delay in grounding works

We were planning from January onwards and held discussions with the public representatives. But many works could not be taken up because of the sand shortage. Signage works were affected when a party approached the courts. Unfortunately, minor road repairs were also not done despite clearing short tenders of Rs. 22 crore. Engineers have been counselled to immediately take them up once we get a few days of dry weather.

Re-carpeting roads

We have requested the traffic police to allow us lay fresh bitumen carpet lane-wise during the daytime as our work plans for the nights is getting affected due to regular showers. We have earmarked Rs.70 crore and all roads irrespective of R&B or NHAI will get fresh BT layer. Various works are also in progress all over the city even as our focus will be on the identified thoroughfares leading to Hitex, heritage sites, hotels and others.

Greenery & murals

Fresh soil is being laid on all traffic medians, islands, underneath flyovers and parks. This is happening after more than a decade and we are spending Rs.16-17 crore. Painting of flyovers and murals is underway.

Fifty sculptures made of scrap and 15 stone sculptures made by the students of JNTU College of Fine Arts and other artistes are going to be installed at various locations.

Footpaths & table drains

For the first time we have decided on pre-cast kerbs for pavements before putting tiles for aesthetic purposes and durability. Wherever carriageway is unusually high tapering steeply at the corners we are going for a cement paving or table drains.

We wanted to change power cables for streetlights from a single phase to three phase for all the identified roads but since it is affecting our greenery work we will do few stretches now and taken them up after the summit.

Hanging cables will be removed soon between the P.V.N.R. Expressway to Road No.1 Banjara Hills and M.J. Market to Sanatnagar to begin with.

New roads

We are also developing three new roads at HICC at a cost of Rs.8 crore between East gate to the Kukatpally slip road, main gate till Kondapur and another road from inside connecting to Kukatpally.

Quality control

We are not going to comprise on quality by doing works in a hurry. If necessary we will take up some of the works later. Five independent agencies are going to check for quality including JNTU, Matrusri College of engineering, Central Government agency Wapcos and two other private organisations.