Bankrupt GHMC pays for Meerpet

Spends `6cr on neighbouring civic body

The GHMC, which is finding it hard to pay monthly salaries to its staff, is spending `6 crore on executing box drain culvert works adjacent to Karmanghat inner ring road and Hasthinapuram, which come under the Meerpet Municipal Corporation.

While GHMC authorities claim that works are being executed as part of Comprehensive Road Development Plan (CRMP), GHMC corporators allege the works had started much earlier than CRMP. A senior engineering wing official, requesting anonymity, confessed that the corporation is executing works beyond its jurisdiction by succumbing to political pressures. He said the work had been included in CRMP after its launch to continue execution.

GHMC is executing about 800 metres of box drain culvert works in Hasthinapuram. Surprisingly, only 200 metres are in GHMC limits and remaining 600 metres is in Meerpet Municipal Corporation. Meerpet shares its boundary with the GHMC and the Badangpet and Jillelaguda municipalities. Champapet corporator Vanga Madhusudhan Reddy alleged that officials, including erstwhile LB Nagar zonal commissioner, took up the work under pressure of their political bosses, including a cabinet minister. Following this, the zonal commissioner has gone on to become the personal secretary of the same cabinet minister.

The Champapet corporator charged that GHMC is ignoring priority works like storm water drains and laying of water and sewer lines in his area. “When approached, mayor Gadwal R. Vijaylakshmi and GHMC commissioner D.S. Lokesh Kumar excused themselves saying the corporation is short of funds. How can it then spend taxpayers’ money outside the GHMC limits,” Madhusudhan Reddy asked.

Further, private contractors executing civil works within GHMC have been holding zonewise protests demanding payment of their pending bills. Contractors have even threatened to completely halt works from Monday if pending bills worth `700 crore are not cleared.

Authorities conceded that GHMC has not cleared any bills post January this year. It can do so only after funds are released by the state government, they maintain.