HYDERABAD: Despite the State government asking elected representatives to visit their constituencies and wards to inspect the desilting of storm water drains and nalas in light of the monsoon, a majority of MLAs, MLCs and corporators have not bothered to visit their wards to take corrective steps to avoid last year’s flood. Learning from the bitter lessons of the past, Animal Husbandry Minister Talsani Srinivas Yadav, Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali, and Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi, during a recent review meeting on monsoon preparedness with officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), had urged local MLAs, MLCs, corporators and other public representatives to tour their respective assembly constituencies and wards to check desilting works with field level officers.
However, only few representatives such as Minister Srinivas Yadav, Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi and Deputy Mayor Mothe Srilatha Shoban Reddy inspected the desilting works. Most MLAs, MLCs, and corporators were hardly seen in the field, including those from the ruling party, Congress and BJP. Some MIM corporators were seen inspecting certain divisions.
Desilting completed in 365 drains in city
According to GHMC officials, desilting works have been completed in 356 drains in the city at an estimated cost of Rs 44.45 crore. As on June 8, about 830.40 km (94 per cent of drains) have been desilted, which include 620.17 km manually and 222 km mechanically. About 4.5 lakh cubic metres of silt has been removed.
Further, a web-cum-mobile app has been developed for updating desilting activity by assistant engineers at the field level. This can also be used for monitoring the desilting activities at higher levels. The desilting works have been better this year as chief engineers were drafted as special officers for each zone to oversee the ongoing works.