CM Revanth challenges Opposition parties BRS, BJP to craft policy vision for Hyderabad

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy challenged the Opposition, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to come up with a policy document envisioning the development of Hyderabad, and said he would order for a Cabinet sub-committee to organise an all-party meeting for a threadbare discussion on the same topic.

Delivering a lengthy speech after virtually laying the foundation for various development works in the city as part of the ‘Praja Palana’ festivities on Tuesday, Mr. Revanth Reddy said his government does not have any ego hassles to welcome meaningful suggestions from the Opposition for the development of Hyderabad. He asked the Chief Secretary on the spot to constitute a sub-committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and his Cabinet colleagues Ponnam Prabhakar and D.Sridhar Babu as members.

Listing out the fund requirement for various development works which include Metro Rail expansion, Musi Riverfront Development, Regional Ring Road and radial roads, he challenged Union Minister for Coal and Mines G.Kishan Reddy to secure funds to the tune of ₹1.5 lakh crore to take those projects forward.

“He had been MLA thrice and Central minister for two terms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi got bullet train and Sabarmati riverfront development for his home state Gujarat. He gives Metro Rail funding to Gujarat, Chennai and Bengaluru, but not to Hyderabad. Why? Didn’t the BJP get votes here,” he questioned.

Referring to his opposition to the Musi development, Mr. Reddy said he is against the project because Hyderabad would best Ahmedabad city if the project succeeds. “People would not care if you sleep in Musi or drown in it. If you are really committed, please get ₹25,000 crore for Musi development, and ₹10,000 crore for rehabilitation,” he said addressing Mr. Kishan Reddy.

He supported the constitution of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) for action against illegal structures built in lakes and water bodies, and dismissed reports about drop in real estate market due to HYDRAA. Compared to the same period last year, the period between April 1 and November 30 this year has seen 29% more growth in real estate, he said.

Lambasting the BRS, he said despite ₹20 lakh crore expenditure during the past 10 years, the city did not get any permanent benefit. Citing example of all metropolitan cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata which have been experiencing chronic issues right from pollution and floods to traffic jams, Mr. Revanth Reddy predicted that Hyderabad too would go down the same path if the issues are not addressed now.

Speaking about the 141 water holding structures planned in various parts of the city which could store up to 10 lakh litres of flood water each, he said the Congress government is for planned development.

He attributed all the development Hyderabad has witnessed over the past decades, including the development of international airport, Hitech City, Outer Ring Road, Pharma companies, to the previous Congress and TDP governments. BRS government could not even build stormwater drains for draining flood water when it rained, he said.

“One person boasted that he would turn the Tank Bund water as sweet as coconut water, but turned it into a cesspool. He promised to make Old City into Istanbul, but we witness severe traffic jams there. Even the structures such as Shilparamam and Hitech City where they take photos and selfies were built during previous governments,” he remarked referring to his predecessor K.Chandrasekhar Rao.

Sharing his plans for the Future City, the CM said it would be built on par with cities such as New York and Tokyo on 40,000-50,000 acres. Already, 15,000 acres are available with the government, and 15,000 more under the reserve forest. He sought support for pooling of 15,000 acres more from farmers for the endeavour.

Congress government is also establishing a world-class organic food market on 250 acres at Ibrahimpatnam which will have separate sections for vegetables, fruits, dairy products, poultry and meat products, besides cold storage facilities for farmers’ benefit.

The ₹5,827-crore projects for which Mr. Revanth Reddy laid foundation include flyovers planned under H-CITI with ₹3,446 crore, ₹1,500-crore road development works by the HRDCL, ₹669-crore sewage treatment plants, ₹150-crore beautification of road sand junctions, 19 reservoirs along the ORR with ₹45 crore, and ₹17-crore rainwater holding structures.

Published - December 04, 2024 12:08 am IST