HYDERABAD : With less than three months left for monsoon, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) authorities are still grappling to complete the ongoing works under the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP). Many of them are far from being completed.
Of the 58 works proposed under SNDP at an estimated cost of Rs 985.45 crore, still 20 works are under progress, two are halted due to court cases and one work is held up due to change of site. Around 35 works have been completed so far.
The delay in the nala works may once again impact the twin cities during monsoon leading to water inundations due to heavy rains. In the first phase of SNDP, works have been taken up with a cost of Rs 985 crore to improve 58 nalas in various parts of the city and city outskirts where flooding was reported in 2020 due to heavy rains, causing significant hardships for residents.
Of the total 58 works, 37 works worth Rs 747.45 crore, fall under the GHMC limits, while remaining 21 works fall outside GHMC within ORR limits. In GHMC 10 works were taken up in the L B Nagar zone at an estimated cost of Rs 122.33 crore, Charminar (7 works, Rs 93.24 crore), Khairatabad, (7 works, Rs 137.12 crore), Kukatpally (3 works, Rs 112.80 crore), Secunderabad (8 works, Rs 261.08 crore) and Serilingampally (2 works, Rs 20.88 crore).
The surrounding ULBs within ORR include Meerpet Municipality (3 works, Rs 18.19 crore), Badangpet Municipal Corporation (6 works, Rs 64.05 crore), Jalpally Municipality (3 works, Rs 24.85 crore), Pedda Amberpet Municipality (1 work, Rs 32.42 crore), Nizampet Municipal Corporation (7 works, Rs 84.63 crore), Kompally Municipality (1 work, Rs 13.86 crore), all worth Rs 238 crore.
Sources said GHMC launched the SNDP with the objective of avoiding flooding in city. In the first phase, for the improvement of stormwater drainage system in Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration (HUA), 58 (37+21 works) works covering 66 km in length have been taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 985.45 crore in various areas.
Of the Rs 747.77 crore, GHMC availed loan of Rs 515.96 crore from State Bank of India and Rs 231.81 crore financial resources have to be mobilised by the civic body.
Outside GHMC area, of the 21 works, eight have been completed and remaining 11 works are going at a slow pace due to non-release of Rs 115.66 crore funds from the six ULBs. Some of the ULBs have informed the GHMC that they are not in a position to release funds for the nala works and sought the civic body’s support to complete the works.