Telangana government is preparing a comprehensive infrastructure development plan for all 140 urban areas including roads development, sewerage, drinking water, waste disposal, citizen services and civic amenities. This is expected to be ready by May 2019, said Municipal Administration & Urban Development Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Wednesday.
Releasing the annual report of 2017-18 and action plan for the year in the presence of top officials of his department and related wings, the Minister said the plan would be a role model for rest of the country in tackling issues like better standard of living for the citizens, economic development, generation of jobs and so on.
He pointed out that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had sanctioned ₹50,000 crore for urban development with special focus on Hyderabad in a three-year span. Underground drainage network, proper road network, water grid, two more ring roads conjoining with the outer ring road are on the anvil.
“Getting the Airport Metro rail work going, operationalising the Real Estate Regulation Development Act (RERA), Riverfront Development of Musi, Satellite townships, integrated township policy et al are among the challenges the department is faced with this year,” he said and expressed confidence of pulling it off considering the work done in the last four years.
Mr. Rama Rao pointed out that State urban population at 42% will soon cross 50% in the next few years, hence the government was getting geared up to tackle the migration.
While the GHMC will work on developing existing roads, flyovers, storm water drains improvement, one lakh houses for the poor, planting of saplings, and so on, Water Board will expand the pipeline network to new areas, link Krishna and Godavari schemes, improve the existing sewage network with more STPs, etc.
Hyderabad Metro Rail is all set to begin 10-km Ameerpet to Hi-Tec city and 16-km Ameerpet to L.B. Nagar stretches later this year. It will be working on modern parking lots and smart parking systems. HMDA will work on townships, eco-tourism projects, protection and beautification of 21 lakes including Gandipet, regional ring roads, etc.
The CDMA plan includes development of parks and burial grounds in all urban local bodies, open gyms, digital door numbers, GIS-based maps and master plans, e-governance projects, enhanced green cover, scientific disposal of waste, etc. The Minister also explained about initiatives taken up in recent times by the departments.
Municipal Administration Secretary Arvind Kumar said TS will be the first State to go for faecal sludge management policy, Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) as the umbrella body for planning and execution of all urban transport-related issues in Hyderabad and all urban bodies will be operationalised and so on.
