Hyderabad: Hyderabad — the sole bread winner of the state — got a pittance in the Budget. The state government has allocated only Rs 1,000 crore assistance for GHMC and Rs 350 crore for the development of the Musi riverfront. It would spend Rs 377 crore for city roads.
For other infrastructure development pro-jects in the city, the respective departme-nts have to rely entirely on loans. Hyderabad Metro Rail project, HMDA and HMWSSB will also have to depend on loans for mobilising funds.
In his Budget speech, finance minister Etela Rajender said: “Extra-budgetary resources will be raised for the development of urban infrastructure. The present infrastructure facilities are not adequate to meet the growing population of Hyderabad. In the rainy season, there is flooding and water logging in many areas of the city. The road network is also not adequate. To address these problems, it is proposed that the Urban Infrastructure Development Corpor-ation will take up works relating to the improvement of storm water drains and development of roads in and around the city.”
HMDA has been allocated Rs 485 crore as against its estimated fund requirement of Rs 950 crore. For the ORR development alone, the government allocated Rs 885 crore, but it released only Rs 150 crore in the entire year.
The urban development agency would require more funds as it needs to repay loans to ORR concessionarie and Japan International Cooperation Agency.
