Hyderabad: Parties in Blame Game for Din during GHMC Council Meeting

 Hyderabad: Amid all the ruckus during the GHMC Council meeting here on Saturday, when Commissioner Amrapali Kata started speaking about measures to control vector-borne diseases, BRS corporators demanded that she should stand and speak.

The commissioner obliged and sought the cooperation of Council members.

“We have a young, enthusiastic, and active team. We are ready to work on all challenges and we are hopeful that all of you will extend cooperation,” she said.

Interestingly, it is nowhere mentioned in the GHMC Act that an officer should stand and reply to questions.

“Irrespective of the member who raises the question, all the replies are addressed to the mayor and generally, as a respect for the chair, officers tend to stand and speak,” said a former GHMC official presently serving in another urban local body.

Out of the 148 questions raised by corporators and ex-officio members, 20 were shortlisted and printed in handbooks prepared for the meeting — including changing the full tank level (FTL) of city lakes, junction improvements, bad roads and poor sanitation — but not even one was discussed. Finally all subjects in the agenda were deemed approved.

The Congress members said that because of the behaviour of BJP and BRS members, developmental works have taken a backseat. “Taxpayers money has been wasted,” said Congress Borabanda corporator Baba Fasiuddin. It was endorsed by AIMIM members.

“We wanted to discuss issues related to desilting and Moharram but could not do so due to the unrest in the council,” said former mayor and AIMIM Nampally MLA Mohammad Majid Hussain.

However, BJP MP Etala Rajendar blamed the Congress. “In my Parliament segment there are 48 corporators but Congress members are politicizing every issue instead of focusing on developmental works, " he said.