WARANGAL: Though Warangal was selected under various schemes like Smart Cities Mission, Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), the historic city is still lagging behind in terms of development as promised by the BRS government even after the formation of Telangana, according to the district Congress leaders.
More than 11 lakh people are living in 66 divisions under the limits of the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) which covers four Assembly constituencies, including the tri-cities of Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet.
Of the 183 colonies in the tri-cities, the municipal officials identified 92 colonies as notified and 91 colonies as non-notified slum areas. But, more than 140 notified and non-notified colonies were inundated due to the heavy rains, causing a lot of problems for the residents.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, in 2016, promised a separate Budget of Rs 300 crore every year for the all-round development of the Warangal district. But, he failed to release funds for the district, which was divided into six.
Hanamkonda DCC president Naini Rajendar Reddy alleged municipal minister K.T. Rama Rao announced Rs 25 crore during his visit to the flood-hit Warangal in August, 2020, for the immediate repair of roads and expansion of stormwater drains. But to no avail.
Even panchayat raj minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, MLAs Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar, Nannapuneni Narendar, Aroori Ramesh and Challa Dharma Reddy, on several occasions, promised a permanent solution to avoid urban flooding in Warangal. But, they have not fulfilled it so far, he said.
Dasu Suresh, the president of BC Rajyadhikara Samithi, said the submergence of several colonies was due to the encroachment of nalas, lakes, ponds and footpaths. He wanted the BRS government to open its eyes to the problems of the city.
Warangal East BJP leader Gunta Ravi Kumar alleged the delay in the release of the state government’s matching grant for the Smart Cities project and failure to prepare the detailed project reports and implement the Central schemes affected the development of the district.
