HYDERABAD: With Indian Meteorological Department forecasting the monsoon rains within a couple of days, it is very likely that low-lying areas within the city will again be inundated this year as little work has been work on the much tom-tommed Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP).
Key wings of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) are blaming one another, even though the government has allocated Rs 697.36 crore for the SNDP. The corporation has managed to spend only Rs 128 crore of this on 38 works, with the GHMC's maintenance wing managing to clear just four bottlenecks since October last.
The GHMC, in coordination with zonal commissioners, engineering and lake wings, is yet to prepare a detailed project report; though the monsoon is almost on the horizon.
A senior GHMC official, requesting anonymity, told Deccan Chronicle that SNDP is yet to submit a detailed project report (DPR) to invite tenders for the nala project. As a result, the corporation has decided to take up only emergency works during the monsoon.
This means the city is at risk since the bunds of over 30 lakes within the twin cities are extremely weak. Flash floods will be inevitable if these works are not attended to immediately. "Despite several reminders, the lakes wing has turned a blind eye to the issue,” the official stated.
The SNDP, without coordinating with zonal commissioners and engineering department, had sought from the government Rs 950 crore for nala widening and remodelling of drains. In their preliminary report, SNDP officials explained that Rs 300 crore will be spent on remodelling of nalas, Rs 250 crore on construction of retaining walls, and Rs 400 crore on constructing bridges and culverts.
The government rubbished the SNDP's idea, asking it to prepare a more realistic and practical model. Further, the government asked the GHMC to complete the project within Rs 858 crore and released Rs 697.36 crore to SNDP for carrying out 126 works.
Amid all this, the civic body’s engineering and SNDP wings are blaming their town planning counterpart for the delay in land acquisition. In turn, town planning officials are accusing the engineering department of neglecting the project despite getting administrative sanction from the government. Town planners maintain that neither the engineering nor the SNDP wing has asked them to acquire land since October. Following this, the “strategic project” has not moved an inch since October, leaving residents of low-lying areas of the city to their own fate.
