HYDERABAD: A whopping Rs 1,21,294 crore was spent in the creation of urban infrastructure under the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department during the last nine years (2014-23) with a majority of spending in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.
Even the opposition parties will acknowledge the urban development that took place in Telangana between 2014 and 2023, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) K T Rama Rao said.
The minister after releasing ten years (2014-2023) MA&UD report, titled ‘Driving Growth Through Urbanisation’, on Wednesday, said that of Rs 1,21,294 crore, the share of the State government was Rs 1,11,360 crore (91.8 percent), the contribution by the Central government was a meagre Rs 9,934 crore (8.2 percent), this assistance was given as per the rightful share of the state and not a single rupee additional was given by the Centre. This is 462.80 percent or 4.62 times more when compared to Rs 26,211.50 crore which was spent by the then State government for the period 2004-14.
On the lines of the Ward Office system established in GHMC limits, the State government has decided to extend a similar system to other Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the State, wherein wards having more than 50,000 people will have one ward office and wards having less than 50,000 people will have one ward office for every two wards. In this connection, ward officers will also be appointed through recruitment for smooth functioning of ward offices to provide better services to the citizens in their respective wards.
With the successful implementation of the Comprehensive Road Maintenance Programme (CRMP) in GHMC limits where over 800 kms of main roads are maintained by private agencies, the State government has planned to extend the CRMP programme to the internal colony roads.
‘’Significant growth and development have occurred in recent years, with investments in infrastructure, housing, and other public amenities. The maximum increase in absolute terms happened in GHMC where it went up by 850 per cent during 2014-23 (with an investment of Rs 44,021.99 crore) when compared with 2004-14 (Rs 4636.38 crore). This became possible because GHMC created project-based dedicated SPVs such as SRDP, CRMP, HRDCL, and SNDP during 2014-23 and thus bringing a dedicated focus on urban infrastructure in Hyderabad. GHMC also could raise resources through municipal bonds and bank loans based on its own balance sheet during this period. Capital Investments in Urban Telangana from 2014 to 2023 were 4.63 times that from 2004 to 2014. This implies a 362.8 percent increase in capital investments from 2014 to 2023,” KTR said.
Stressing that the debt availed for urban development had been used for productive purposes, around 70 per cent of the revenue was created in urban areas. He added that the total infra spending in Hyderabad and other cities was Rs 1,34,051.28 crore during 2014-23. This is unprecedented and reaffirms the commitment of the State Government on planned urban growth and development,” he said.
The Minister said that even the BJP government at the Centre was forced to recognise the achievements made by the Telangana Government in the field of urban development. “We have proactively addressed the challenges of urbanisation, such as solid waste management, air pollution and traffic congestion. Our green initiatives have won international laurels.
The success of urban Telangana can be attributed to the commitment put in by officials, urban planners, engineers, and the people of Telangana. Our journey is still ongoing, and we must continue to strive for excellence and constantly innovate to meet the evolving needs of our citizens. Furthermore, we must ensure that the benefits of our success are shared by all and that no one is left behind’’ he said.
The growth in other departments is very huge, almost 3,614 per cent growth in CDMA, ie 141 ULBs other than GHMC (from Rs 598 crore to Rs 22,210 crore primarily due to introduction of Pattana Pragathi programme), 190 per cent up in HMWS&SB, 171 per cent in TUFIDC (upto Rs 7803 crore primarily because of undertaking infra works under TUFIDC bank linked programme). Sunkishala Intake Well project is taken up at a cost of Rs 2,215 crore and 60 per cent works completed. Upon completion, the project provides most secured water supply to Hyderabad city even if there are consecutive failures of monsoon. About 60 TMC of water can be drawn from this project.