Minister for Municipal Administration K.T. Rama Rao has declared that very soon, women, especially those from the poorer sections of society in the Greater Hyderabad region, would not need to carry a plastic vessel and stand in long queues for drinking water.
“Every household in every slum will will get piped drinking water,” he said to applause. He reinforced the promise and said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is keen to complete Mission Bhageeratha programme, which aims to take water to every home in the State within the stipulated time period.
On Friday, he spent hours in Malkajgiri and Kapra municipalities, inaugurating five reservoirs, including three elevated service reservoirs (ESLR), and two ground-level service reservoirs (GSLR).
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He was accompanied by Minister for Transport Dr. P. Mahender Reddy, Member of Parliament Ch. Malla Reddy (Malkajgiri), MLAs C. Kanaka Reddy (Malkajgiri) and N.V.S.S. Prabhakar (Uppal), Hyderabad Mayor B. Rammohan and the HMWSSB Managing Director M. Dana Kishore.
While the ELSRs are part of a World Bank project, the GSLRs are funded primarily by HUDCO and implemented by the Hyderabad Metrowater Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB). The ESLRs in Malkajgiri would add 34.9 million litres, while the GSLRs would store 6.5 million litres, it is understood.
At Snehapuri, that falls under Uppal Assembly constituency represented by Mr. Prabhakar, the Minister asserted that the NITI Ayog had recommended a release to the State a whopping Rs. 14,000 crore for the Mission Bhagareetha that envisaged piped water to every household and Mission Kakatiya that sought to recharge every water source.
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He charged the Bharatiya Janata Party with the responsibility of ensuring that the Rs. 14,000 crore was received from the Centre. Be it bad roads, drinking water supply and sewerage lines - the entire civic system was badly neglected by earlier Governments, he said.
“Things cannot be rectified overnight. I assure you the Chief Minister is seized of the situation. Give us some time and we will sort things out. In two years you will not see tankers at all,” he stated, adding that they would not come asking for votes around before the next elections if things were not set right.
Senior Board officers present included Executive Director of the Board M. Satyanarayana and Chief General Managers D. Ramachandra Reddy and M.B. Praveen Kumar and V.L. Praveen Kumar (Project Implementation).