Yadagiri Sunil Rao, who has just been elected unanimously as the third Mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar (MCK), said that his priority would be to ensure 24x7 water supply to the people of the town and proper sanitation to avoid spread of diseases, among others. In a free-wheeling chat with The Hindu , he spoke on various issues. Excerpts:
Q: What are your priorities as the third Mayor of Karimnagar town?
A. Karimnagar town has umpteen resources, which we need to tap properly. It is the only town in the State and even in the country to have a major irrigation project — Lower Manair Dam (LMD) reservoir. The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) has come as a boon for the town with water availability throughout the year.
Hence, the TRS has decided to provide daily water supply to the people within three to four months for about 45 minutes or one hour to every household. After its successful implementation, we will launch the 24x7 water supply after about six to seven months.
Q: How do you plan to tackle the mosquito menace and spread of diseases such as dengue?
A: We will see to it that drains are constructed in such a way that water flows properly and mosquitoes don’t breed. We will also take up frequent fogging in colonies by purchasing additional vehicle-mounted fogging machines, and ensure fogging in each locality at least once a week.
Q: What about the Smart City Project and delay in taking up works?
A: The credit for sanctioning the Smart City Project goes to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, then Karimnagar MP and present TS Planning Board vice-chairman B. Vinod Kumar, Minister for BC Welfare and Civil Supplies Gangula Kamalakar and the last body of the MCK. There is lot of money through the project and we have to provide better amenities to people. In fact, the pace of works has increased.
Q: Is not traffic congestion in town due to encroachment of footpaths by roadside vendors and others a big issue?
A: We want to ensure that footpaths are used only by pedestrians. We will erect grills along roads so that footpaths are not encroached. We will relocate roadside vendors to the newly- constructed vending zones.
Q: Will you continue the ‘ambitious’ Re 1 funeral scheme for all sections of the society?
A: We will continue all the welfare schemes launched by the last general body. We will implement the Re 1 funeral more effectively by allocating funds well in advance to the executing agency.
Q: How do you solve complaints about poor sanitation and cleaning of roads and drains in colonies?
A. The existing sanitation staff is inadequate. We will recruit more at the rate of 28 members for every 10,000 population to ensure cleanliness. Further, we plan to close all open drains with pipes and avoid spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
