`55k-cr plan for city development
Gearing up to meet population influx into Hyderabad and other urban cities in the state, the TRS government has earmarked `55,000 crore to build infrastructure for urban centres for the next three years. Not only will this plan enhance the quality life of citizens, it will also transform the economic potential of urban areas that contribute the most to the GSDP, said K.T. Rama Rao, minister for municipal administration and urban development (MAUD). The ongoing `25,000 crore Strategic Road Development Programme will be further enhanced with `6,000 crore additional allocation.
“About 45 per cent of GSDP comes from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and all the urban areas together contribute over 50 per cent to the state’s economy. Considering the vital role of urban areas, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has agreed `55,000 crore plan for urban development and it will be implemented over the next three years,” said Mr Rao after releasing the annual report 2017-18 on MA&UD here on Wednesday.
“The Municipal Administration department has the biggest talent pool of 15 IAS officers and this shows how much priority our chief minister gives to improving citizens' quality of life. We have nine urban development authorities in the state and 74 urban local bodies (ULBs) including six corporations. This number will reach 146 soon as urbanisation picks up,” added Mr Rao.
He highlighted the reforms undertaken by the municipal administration department: “GHMC revenue was `2,616 crore in 2017-18. The state government without raising property tax managed to increase the revenue of GHMC from `747 crore in 2013-14 to `1,450 cr in 201718. Over 600 bottlenecks on nalas across the city have been removed and 6,000 footpath encroachments have been also removed to provide a better and secure pathway for pedestrians.”
With the state government’s support, GHMC had completed 1.74 lakh LRS processing in just 18 months, said GHMC Commissioner Janardhan Reddy,
“Four lakh lights have been replaced with LEDs in Hyderabad in just one year and it’s perhaps first time in the world,” Mr Reddy declared, adding that it saved the government `60 crore. “Of the target of `1,000 cr via bonds, GHMC has already raised `200 crore. My GHMC App downloads were at record three lakhs so far.” The GHMC raised ` 200 cr via bonds mobilisation, the second municipal corporation in the country after Pune to do so and is in the process of mobilising another `800 cr this fiscal.
Regarding SRDP, about `23,000-crore has been spent and `1,000 crore will be spent this year.