HYDERABAD: ‘Unprepared for contingencies’, ‘no communication from farmhouse’ and ‘unmindful about government school students’ were some of the sharp retorts Congress leaders made about the BRS government’s alleged lack of timely response to tackle problems arising from the incessant rains that have been hitting the city since Monday.
They said that the government failed to rise to the occasion despite getting a forecast of heavy rains much in advance. They also took exception to the BRS announcing the closure of schools and educational institutions around the time the schools generally start.
Former TPCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah said, “The BRS is trying to make people believe their propaganda. They are not planning for contingencies. The Chief Minister must have been resting in his farmhouse, unaware of what is happening. He never allows anyone to approach him. There is nothing new in this kind of behaviour by him.”
Another former PCC president, V. Hanumantha Rao, said: “The government should have declared leave for schools having known the climate condition. Why did it not take the decision yesterday itself? Students are complaining they were told to return upon reaching their schools, getting drenched in the process. Children could get fevers when they get wet in these rains, adding to the parent’s woes.”
“The government then gave a holiday for two days. Overflowing drainages and flooded roads are a result of failure to clean them before the onset of the monsoon. Currently, nobody is sure of returning safely if they venture out during the rain,” Hanumantha Rao said.
TPCC general secretary Addanki Dayakar said, “The situation indicates a lack of preparedness or application of mind. How can they decide whether it’s a working day or not for schools early in the morning? They aren’t running corporate schools and many kids and teachers have already gone to schools. Their dismal condition was exposed by KCR’s grandson recently. The kids were sent to study in such schools in the midst of these rains. This shows they don’t care about anything. The education minister should have taken a decision early.”
Expressing dismay at the lack of planning by the government, Charan Kaushik Yadav, general secretary, Malkajgiri Parliament constituency, said, “The decision to close schools was taken in the morning; my son is also at school now. Many kids who study in government schools have been forced to walk in the rain. Traffic is getting stuck as work on many flyovers is pending, like the one at Narapally, which is progressing at a snail’s pace.”
“It looks like there is no communication from the CM’s farmhouse to the education minister. The government repeatedly claims to have spent ₹70,000 crore on infrastructure in Hyderabad. Hence, this situation after nine years of BRS rule,” said Danasari Seethakka, Mulugu MLA.
TPCC vice president and media in charge Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy said, “This situation would not have arisen if municipal minister K.T. Rama Rao had acted upon his much-publicised plans. Bills amounting to ₹900 crore under the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP), which was launched to clean the drains, have not been paid to contractors. The contractors have, thus, not been able to execute the works. The government should act smart. If the money was spent in the right way, this situation could have been avoided.”
“The recurring problems of roads flooding and major traffic jams continue; the issue hogs headlines during rains and is then forgotten afterwards, for the problem to recur again the next year. Many European cities experience rain most of the time and roads are not wider than those in Hyderabad, but they have a facility to drain water from under footpaths and hence, don't experience flooding. The government boasts of Hyderabad attaining international status, but it lacks even basic facilities like footpaths, dustbins, public urinals or parking facilities. The ORR and Metro were planned by the Congress regime, thinking 20 years ahead,” said Kotimreddy Vinay Reddy, TPCC’s general secretary.
