The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is committed to the preservation and protection of all water bodies in and around the twin cities. It was coordinating with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HUDA) in taking up intensive survey, identification of encroachments, earmarking Full Tank Level (FTL) and enabling GPS coordinates, said GHMC Commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy.
The civic body was serious about taking action against encroachers and permissions for as many as eight layouts have been withdrawn for falling within the contours of the Durgam Cheruvu lake in Madhapur. There was no question of allowing any constructions within the FTL and encroachments would be dealt with sternly, he warned.
Dr. Reddy was presiding over a meeting of top officials of different government departments of the capital as part of the ‘Convergence meeting’ to coordinate activities and plan works among the power utilities, traffic police, revenue, Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) and others on Saturday.
4,148 water bodies identified
The Commissioner said that the HMDA had identified 4,148 water bodies in all under its jurisdiction and had sought information about the survey numbers and FTL boundaries. Already, comprehensive inspections were done for 188 lakes with earmarking of FTLs and embedding of GPS coordinates also completed. The request of the HMDA to change the location of the garbage transfer station on the Uppal ring road would be acceded and an alternative location would be sought.
The officials also reflected over the increasing traffic congestion on several main thoroughfares and it was decided to take up a new road from Moosarambagh to Imlibun along the River Musi as mooted by the traffic police. A survey would be taken up by a joint team of GHMC, Traffic Police and Revenue officials.
The traffic police had informed that there were 440 electric poles and 61 transformers jutting on to the main roads affecting the traffic movement and the civic body had paid Rs.1.95 crore to the power distribution company for relocating them, informed the GHMC Commissioner.
Separate meeting soon
Hereafter, following the decision taken by the Water Board to take up digging of trenches for pipelines laying only after the road restoration contracts are finalised, the same method would be made applicable for road cutting by any department. A separate meeting is also to be held with the Collectors of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medhcal to discuss the modalities of taking up two-bedroom housing and other housing schemes.
HMWSSB Managing Director M. Dana Kishore, Hyderabad Collector Rahul Bojja, Ranga Reddy Collector Raghunandan Rao, TSSPDCL CMD Raghuma Reddy, Traffic Police Chief Jitender, SCB CEO Sujatha Gupta and others participated.
