Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday stated that he would take the responsibility of developing five major cities in the State including Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Khammam as smart cities.
He told this to legislators Puvvada Ajay Kumar (Khammam), Komatireddy Venkat Reddy (Nalgonda) and Jalagam Venkata Rao (Kothagudem) who called on him in the Secretariat to discuss about smart cities. As these cities would play key role in the future Telangana their development should be planned. However, haphazard growth of even cities like Hyderabad was resulting in water logging in front of the Assembly and residence of Governor and Chief Minister with one good rain, he said.
Stating that importance would be given to development of infrastructure, the Chief Minister noted that the cities would get drinking water under the water grid project. He promised to visit the cities after the budget session of the Assembly. Khammam, Nalgonda and Kothagudem were growing fast but they need proper infrastructure, Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao felt.
Focus would be on giving 135 litres of water per day to every citizen, proper road and drainage systems, education and health facilities and it would require an investment of over Rs. 10,000 crore. A 4,000 MW thermal plant to come up at Kothagudem would provide employment opportunities to 10,000 persons, he said.
Mr. Ajay Kumar later told newspersons that he had requested the Chief Minister to include Khammam in the proposals to be sent to the Centre for smart cities’ development.
