Politicos pass the buck as rain brings Hyderabad to its knees
Opposition calls KCR negligent, CM holds past govts responsible for the crisis
HYDERABAD: The unprecedented rains that have brought Hyderabad to a standstill have punctured Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s promise of transforming the capital into a global city on the lines of US’ Dallas and New York.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, which the ruling TRS had won with a massive mandate in February, failed to live up to people’s expectations.
The capital’s roads were riddled with potholes as storm water drains overflowed creating cesspools at different places. Several residential localities on the outskirts of the city got inundated, which further damaged brand Hyderabad’s value.
As the flood situation continues to remain alarming in several parts of Telangana, the TRS and the Opposition have started indulging in a blame game.
The Opposition attacked the TRS government for ‘neglecting’ Hyderabad in the past two years. The Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders staged demonstrations in the rain-ravaged areas of the city and planted saplings in the potholes on the main roads.
Not one to get bogged down, KCR launched a counter-attack on the Opposition, holding the previous TDP and Congress governments responsible for the present situation in Hyderabad. “These two parties ruled the state for more than 50 years. They neglected the civic conditions in the city. Over 28,000 illegal constructions have come up on the storm water drains in the city over the years. Who had given them permission?” he asked.
The Congress shot back at KCR, saying his “negligent attitude” was responsible for the havoc created in the state.
“KCR should learn to handle criticism. Why he did not hold a meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority despite warnings of heavy rainfall? His negligent attitude is causing damage to the state,” leader of Opposition Mohammad Shabbir Ali said.