Akbaruddin urges govt to take up lake restoration in GHMC, HMDA limits

Both GHMC and HMDA did not have funds to restore lakes, hence, it would be better that it should be handed over to the Minor Irrigation Department, he said

Hyderabad: Leader of the Opposition Akbaruddin Owaisi on Saturday urged the State government to hand over works of restoring lakes under the jurisdiction of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to the Minor Irrigation Department.

Taking part in discussion on budget demands in the Assembly, Owaisi said lakes and tanks falling under the GHMC and HMDA jurisdiction were excluded from the Mission Kakatiya programme, following which they were not restored and most of them were on the verge of extinction. Both GHMC and HMDA did not have funds to restore or rejuvenate lakes, hence, it would be better that it should be handed over to the Minor Irrigation Department, which could easily handle the cost of restoration, he said.

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He said there were about 187 lakes under the jurisdiction of GHMC and 857 under HMDA, among these there are lakes and tanks which need to be restored on a warfooting. Since many of the lakes were filled with silt, during rains the water was overflowing into the city causing floods and inundation, he said.

“If such lakes are restored, the water will not flow into the city during rain. We can save our low lying areas from inundation,”he said.

Expressing concern over Andhra Pradesh constructing irrigation projects on Krishna River, Owaisi urged the State government to hold an all party meeting to discuss issues related to Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme and other projects taken up by AP on Krishna River.

He asked the government not to merge the Arogyasri scheme with the Central government’s Ayushman Bharat as the State scheme was more useful to the poor. He also asked the government to release special grants to NIMS and other major government hospitals in the State for upgradation.