Centre should allocate more funds for Smart Cities: KT Rama Rao

Hyderabad: Stating that Telangana was among the top three urbanized States in the country, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao said BJP-led Central Government should allocate more Smart Cities and funds proportionately to the State.

Karimnagar and Warangal are the only two cities, which have been identified under the Smart City programme from Telangana.

The State Government has executed all the works and extended financialand administrative support under the Smart Cities programme for Karimnagar and Warangal. However, the Central Government cannot adopt the ‘One Size fits all’ approach. More smart cities and funds should
be allocated to Telangana, he said.

The Minister released the Municipal Administration and Urban Development annual report here on Friday.

Addressing the occasion, the Minister said Niti Aayog had recently mentioned that India was likely to have 50 per cent of its population by 2050. Telangana was already much ahead of this trend and it posed
to have 50 per cent population in urban areas by 2025, he pointed out.

“This will throw more challenges in terms of creating the required infrastructure and the Telangana Government is taking up measures accordingly,” Rama Rao said.

The Minister has been releasing the MAUD department’s annual performance report for the fifth consecutive year. “Opposition parties or people did not demand that we release this report. The idea is to
share the achievements and works planned by the department and showcase the transparency,” Rama Rao said.

Under Pattana Pragathi programme, several citizen centric works were being used to provide basic amenities across the State. Biomining, setting up fecal sludge treatment plants, digital door numbering etc are being proposed under the 10-point agenda programme and majority of these works would be completed by March 2023, he assured.

Regarding the development projects to be taken up in Hyderabad this year, the Minister said the Rs.2500 crore elevated Bus Rapid Transit System project from KPHB Metro station to Kokapet Neopolis would be grounded after the approval by the State Cabinet.

Similarly, extending water connections to the 75,000 double bedroom houses across the city was nearing completion. Once these works complete, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao would formally
inaugurate the mega housing projects at Kollur and other places, he said.

Sharing monsoon action plan details, the Minister said preparations were commenced in February and nala safety audits were conducted in GHMA and other Urban local bodies.

“I am satisfied with the Strategic Nala Development Programme works being executed. However, temporary inconvenience is bound to be as even the first world countries cannot handle heavy cloudburst in a short span,” Rama Rao said.

• – Under Pattana Pragathi, financial assistance of Rs.2062 crore
  extended to 142 ULBs
• – 2254 additional sanitation vehicles procured
• – 103 integrated veg and meat markets works grounded out of 139
• – Development of 734 Vaikuntadhamams in 139 ULBs
• – Raising 1518 in-house nurseries in ULBs
• – Urban infrastructure expenditure incurred under SRDP –
  Rs.671.19 crore, CRMP – Rs.293.93 crore, HRDCL – Rs.114.97 crore, SNDP
  – Rs.735.07 crore in GHMC and Rs.231.08 crore worth works grounded in
  surrounding ULBs
• – 21 kms long bicycles track with solar panel rooftops is
  proposed from Narsingi to Kollur
• – Works to prepare or update master plans for all ULBs under progress
• – The 19.8 MW Waste to Energy (WTE), Jawaharnagar being enhanced
  to a 48 MW plant. Another 14.5 MW WTE plant to be functional this year
  at Dundigal
• – HMWSSB taken up the Sunkishala intake well project to ensure
  more supply of drinking water with Rs.1450 crore

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