In election year, netizens call out KTR, ministers on Twitter

HYDERABAD: Following netizens’ fact-checking of MAUD minister K.T. Rama Rao on the Uppal and Amberpet flyovers, an increasing number of people have written to not just Rama Rao, but also his Cabinet colleagues and MLCs about delays in flyover construction projects.

Hyderabadis have hopped on the bandwagon to take full advantage of the election year to draw the attention of ministers and authorities concerned, and to call them out to complete long-pending projects in their colonies. Netizens have taken to social media to voice their concerns, and they plan to visit the offices of the Hyderabad Municipal Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), GHMC, and the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL), among others, to pressurise them to complete the projects.

"After observing the active responses of not only KTR but also his colleagues, as well as immediate results in some cases, we realised it was most likely due to the upcoming elections scheduled for later this year. We decided to make the most of the situation and began reaching out to them via Twitter," said Maruti Sekhar, an Ameenpur resident who had tweeted about the government's indifference to the Ameenpur lake and other works.

He encouraged people in his neighbourhood to do the same, and many did so willingly and enthusiastically. "Construction of this road began more than seven months ago, but the authorities left it incomplete without clearing away the gravel that had gotten onto the road, making it dangerous, particularly for two-wheelers. The pollution caused by this could endanger the lives of our children on their way to school," he added.

The locals took to Twitter to tag the minister and MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy, Patancheru. When a resident attempted to contact authorities from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), he was usually given a canned response saying, "they would look into the matter next week," but always failed on meeting the assurances. "Tagging their superiors appears to be working, as our discussions with the contractors yielded no results," he stated.  

Arjuna Prasad, a resident of Sainikpuri, wrote to the authorities about the deadly potholes on the way to the Ramalayam temple, while his neighbour complained to the HMWS&SB about sewage flow, tagging Rama Rao, special chief secretary Arvind Kumar, and others, prompting the water board to respond quickly.

"While KTR has always been known to respond to tweets, the frequency of his team and him tweeting and reacting to complaints has significantly increased in the last couple of months, good or bad, we're only looking for results," he explained. Manjunatha Sai, a resident of Peerzadiguda, complained about a road dug up in Sai Krishna Colony to build a cement concrete road, only to be kept open for more than a month with no work begun. "Contacting the authorities directly was futile. Therefore, reaching out to officials via Twitter was the only option. The contractors contacted us directly, and we hope they keep their word," he said.