In a free-wheeling chat with Express, MAUD Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar elaborates on the government’s ambitious plans for Hyderabad; 280 km of roads to be laid within ORR to link unconnected regions; HUMTA, an umbrella body, to be set up to guide development of various transport systems in city and more...
HYDERABAD: There are missing links in Hyderabad’s infrastructure, especially in its road network within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) periphery, admitted Arvind Kumar, Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD). Speaking to the editorial team of The New Indian Express on Tuesday, Kumar said the State government had already identified these missing links in the road network and has entrusted the task of rectifying the problem with Hyderabad Road Development Corporation Limited (HRDCL).
The senior bureaucrat said that this year, the government plans to add 280 km of roads to rectify the missing links. “If this problem is addressed, it will be helpful to the people as they wouldn’t have to travel long distances. Also, under the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP), works such as a cable-stayed bridge at Durgam Cheruvu and others will be taken up,” he said.
Arvind Kumar said that the decision to announce Badangpet, Bandlaguda Jagir, Meerpet, Boduppal, Peerzadiguda, Jawaharnagar and Nizampet as municipal corporations— all of them surrounding Greater Hyderabad — was taken to give emphasis on planning and working along with GHMC. This would lead to proper planning for the future and make the ULBs more transparent and accountable.
Integrated master plan
Arvind Kumar said that there was a strong need for an integrated master plan for the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region (HMR). “Now that the Telangana Municipalities Act is in place, the State Government will work with Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) towards proper development of HMR area,” he said.
He said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was keen on having an integrated master plan for Hyderabad. “He has already conducted meetings on the matter and has made suggestions on which the department is working out modalities,” said Kumar.
Currently, there are five different master plans — HMDA Metropolitan Development Plan, Hyderabad Airport Development Authority (HADA), Cyberabad Development Authority (CDA), Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) — in erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) region. There were around 24 different land use zoning regulations in the five master plans, leading to several problems for the people.
In the proposed integrated master plan, the government is planning to introduce uniform zoning regulations for the entire HMR region. The new master plan would be prepared after proper assessment of the existing situation by removing anomalies. “It would stress on optimum use of public transport systems such as Metro, MMTS and BRTS,” he added.
Funds for SRDP works
Kumar said that there was a shortage of funds for SRDP works since GHMC is yet to float the third tanche of municipal bonds worth Rs 305 crore. “GHMC will float them in the next 15 days,” he said.
Integrated townships
The State government is keen to see that municipalities undertake appropriate measures for ‘planned growth’. “One way is to encourage self-contained townships based on the ‘Walk to Work’ concept, wherein the distance between the workplace and residence is minimised,” he said.
Sewage problem
Kumar said that the sewage problem in the city was a serious one. “Only about 55 per cent of the sewage is processed. The remaining 45 per cent is left untreated and let flow into water bodies. This a major challenge and requires urgent intervention,” he said.
Building approvals
The senior bureaucrat said that building permissions for plots sized between 75 sq mt and 500 sq mt would be processed through an online self-certification system. “Upon furnishing all the required information, an applicant will get instant approval online, without any inspection by the authorities. Of course, if the owner or developer makes a false declaration, action will be taken as per the rules,” he said.
For plots larger than 500 sq mt, there will be a single-window system of applications. “Only one application form will be needed, which can be submitted online,” Kumar said.
On Heritage authority
In what can be seen as a confirmation of the poor implementation of the Telangana Heritage Act, MAUD Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar said that two external expert members were yet to be appointed under the Telangana State Heritage Authority (TSHA). To put things into perspective, the High Court on Tuesday pulled up the State government for having contradictory statements in the preamble of the Telangana Heritage Act and said that it was “horribly drafted”. The law was passed by the State in 2017. “In the Telangana Heritage Act, we have the TSHA, in which two external experts are yet to be appointed.”