HYDERABAD: Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy issued a stern warning to his Cabinet colleagues against taking chances in the forthcoming elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and any laxity on their part would be dealt with firmly. The Chief Minister, reportedly told his Cabinet ministers that the GHMC polls would be the first local body elections that the party was facing after it came back to power in the general elections. “Thus, the GHMC elections have become prestigious for us. I fix responsibility on each one of you. I want you to coordinate with the local legislators. Tell people what we have done for the City during the last five years. The Government has spent a whopping Rs 5,551 crore on the GHMC. We are planning to spend another Rs 10,000 crore only for the underground drainage system. People should know what we did,’’ he said.
The Chief Minister explained his colleagues that the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project, from which Maytas Consortium was dropped, would be on track with the Centre’s assistance and new collaborations. He assured the Cabinet that once the project was through, it would be completed on the stipulated period. In this context, he said proposals for MMTS Phase II were also sent to the Centre.
With the victory in the general elections and the goodwill the Congress enjoys among the people and a little hardwork and commitment, the party should sweep all the GHMC divisions, he said. He also reminded them that the All-India Majlis Ittehadul Muslamen (AIMIM) would have an alliance with the Congress which should be an added advantage, Rajasekhara Reddy is learnt to have said.
Rajasekhara Reddy said there was no need to invite top leaders from other political parties into the Congress fold. Instead, he wanted grass root level workers and activists should be invited into the Congress.
Meanwhile, briefing mediapersons, Information and Public Relations and Tourism Minister J Geeta Reddy said the Chief Minister would soon inaugurate the Musi Beautification Project which was completed.
On the Outer Ring Road Project, she said that of the 160 km stretch of road, 80 km would be completed by 2010 and the rest by 2012.
