Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) are jointly scouring the capital region for setting up of a bio-diversity park in view of the forthcoming 11 meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP) for the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) in October (1-17).
At least four sites located in different parts have been provisionally chosen for the park and the high-powered committee formed to deck up the city for the event is expected to take a decision soon, said senior officials involved in the work.
While all other departments like Tourism are chalking out their respective plans, GHMC alone has drawn up strategy to spend a massive Rs.400 crore on civic works preceding and during the event. Mayor Majid Hussain and Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu have requested both the Central and State Governments to chip in with Rs.1,000 crore since the New Delhi Government was provided a liberal grant for the Commonwealth Games.
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But, with the State Government ‘ordering' the municipal corporation to spend from its ‘own internal resources', there is much anger and disappointment among the corporators as well as the senior officials.
“GHMC is already under severe financial strain unable to take up civic amenities in the suburbs or improve the conditions in the core city like roads, streetlighting, sewerage, storm water drains, etc.,” pointed out Telugu Desam floor leader Singireddy Srinivas Reddy.
He has support. “We need Government assistance. We have also been pleading to allow us to collect profession tax instead of the commercial taxes department, our share from various other taxes and to allow us to spend the money collected from traffic challans for traffic related works. Yet, despite Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy's assurance nothing has moved in the last six months,” lamented senior officials.
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Even the much vaunted Rs.63.6 crore Hyderabad Traffic Integrated Management System (H-TRIMS) to install 220 modern lights rolling out has been held due to a lack of concrete assurance from the Government to provide necessary funds after the contract was awarded to Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
Mr. Reddy has also threatened to protest before the Legislative Assembly if the Government is not moved by the GHMC's plight. The international convention centre at Madhapur is the venue for the biggest ever international meet hosted in the country with more than 15,000 delegates expected to attend drawn over 190 countries.
Improvement of roads, sidewalks, storm water drains, lane marking, signages, greenery, traffic signals are being proposed (see graphic).