GHMC wakes up to lake care

Appoints guards to secure all 169 water bodies after HC reprimand

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), in a belated move, has resolved to protect all 169 lakes in the city by boosting the lake protection force. It will deploy security personnel to monitor all lakes. The civic body will pull out security personnel from zonal and circle offices and redeploy them at lakes.

This apart, the corporation is strengthening the lake protection rules, which have to be submitted by the zonal commissioners in a week’s time.

Surprisingly, GHMC counsel, which informed the court that the Commissioner is not empowered to appoint guards near lakes, has decided to appoint one without passing any resolution or amending the law. According to highly placed sources in the corporation, the GHMC commissioner, Mr D.S. Lokesh Kumar, held a review meeting with zonal commissioners and instructed them to withdraw guards from sports complexes, deputy commissioner offices and mid-level officials working in zonal offices and redeploy them at lakes to prevent illegal dumping and encroachments. The corporation would first rationalise the deployment on a war-footing, especially around those lakes that are nearing extinction. If the civic body falls short of guards, it will also redeploy the staff from headquarters near Tank Bund.

However, sources said that the corporation by redeploying existing staff for protection of lakes, would put security of sports complexes at risk. In hindsight, this lacuna will give an opportunity to lower-rung staff to take away equipments at gyms and other expensive material in sports complexes.

The guards would add to lake protection cell, comprising joint collector, chief engineer (minor irrigation), HMDA director urban forestry, superintending engineer and executive engineer (lake protection cell). The committee has been headed by the HMDA commissioner. However, the lake protection cell did not have any individual to exclusively monitor it. The corporation, after HC directions, felt the need to deploy a guard at all lakes to prevent it from encroachments and illegal dumping.