In a quick discussion at the State Assembly, Minister KT Rama Rao said that Hyderabad was emerging as the most sought-after destination in the country due to its developing infrastructure. In the State's economy, the city plays a key role and the Government has been making every effort to sustain its growth dynamism. Special attention is paid to easing the congestion of traffic by various actions like constructing flyovers and passages.

Infrastructure Growth of Hyderabad After Bifurcation

After the establishment of the state of Telangana, the Government has invested a huge amount of Rs 67,135 crore in infrastructure growth. In addition, every month approximately Rs 78 crore was allocated from the State to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. For the remaining urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state, another Rs 70 crore was distributed every month.

Also, the government plans to extend the Metro services of Hyderabad in the coming days to meet the needs of the people in other parts of Greater Hyderabad. During the pre-COVID era, Hyderabad Metro Rail flew more than 4 lakh passengers every day. With 42.6% of its population living in urban areas, the Telangana state is the fastest urbanising State in the country. The national average was just 31.2% for the urban population. Minister clarified the reasons for several administrative changes introduced by the State government to meet ever-growing urbanisation demands.

In addition, the Government is taking several measures to strengthen the economy so as to improve jobs, develop infrastructure and strictly enforce law and order. There were about 75 new municipalities and seven new municipal corporations bringing the total number of ULBs in the State up to 142. Hyderabad is therefore ranked among the world's best living cities.

In all other municipalities, the government has applied the same significance to the growth of infrastructure. Also, it has taken advantage of the lockdown and has accelerated the development of infrastructure in all ULBs, especially Greater Hyderabad. And with only a nominal fee of Rs 1, the government provided tap connection to every ULB household.

State Government Proposed Measures

In Hyderabad, Warangal and Karimnagar, the government has already established the State Disaster Response Force and will shortly expand to the other ULBs. A fabulous response was also given to Basti Dawakhanas who provide medical care of quality to urban poor people. Their number will be expanded to other cities in the State from 198 to 350 in the GHMC area. Various new measures were implemented to reduce corruption and enhance citizen-centred services, including a new Municipal Act and TS-bPASS Act. 

In addition, KTR declared that the planned power generation plant at the Jawahar Nagar dump yard was ready with a power generation capacity of 19.8 MW. After the opening, this will be South India's largest waste-to-energy plant, with provision for an additional 28.2 MW capacity.

The waste processing tenders in other ULBs in the state have been concluded and the process will begin shortly. In addition, Faecal Sludge treatment plants are being built in 71 ULBs by the state government where they are under construction in 58 ULBs. The GHMC implemented jetting machines for ending manual scavenging and gained Prime Minister's Office accoladations.

In the area of GHMC, approximately 150 Annapurna canteens supplied Rs 5 meals to 35,000 persons daily. At the COVID-19 lockdown, the number of Annapurna canteens went up to 375, where food for lunch and dinner was given. These canteens have served 5.58 crore meals ever since they began. Also, the much-awaited Durgam Cheruvu bridge was also ready to open.

By: Shailaja K