Hyderabad: The GHMC is demanding funds from both Telangana as well as Seemandhra governments, after clearing the budget with an outlay of 4,599 rupees crore for 2014-15.
“The GHMC area would be the common capital, and both the governments would be using the civic amenities in the city. The GHMC will ask both of them to give it liberal grants in view of the additional responsibilities we will need to shoulder,” the civic authorities said.
Hyderabad Mayor Mohammed Majid Hussain said the 14th Metropolis Conference is fast approaching and the city needs another round of beautification. After the merger of the surrounding municipality, the GHMC has been spending a lot on development. During CoP-11, the GHMC spent huge amounts on infrastructure. If the GHMC gets another 3,000 to 5,000 crore rupees from the Centre, that will help to improve infrastructure, he said. The GHMC should get funds from both the Telangana and Seemandhra states. The additional funds will also help in developing the peripheral areas of GHMC, he added.
The GHMC’s 2014-15 budget of 4,599 crore rupees, includes a revenue expenditure of 1887.11 crore rupees and a capital expenditure of 2,711.89 crore rupees.
Meanwhile, the GHMC is being questioned for not utilising even 40 per cent of its budget. TD floor leader Singireddy Srinivas Reddy said that dozens of proposals were pending and that no official is aware of what is happening at the grass root level. Not even 10 per cent of slum development and poor housing scheme funds were used last year. Certain localities in L.B. Nagar and colonies located on the periphery of GHMC are charged 14.5 per cent extra property tax. The GHMC pays Rupees 14 crore as electricity bill every month. If solar power plants are set up these bills can be avoided, he said.
and from February-end the APCPDCL is increasing tariff by 15 per cent which will further increaser the power bill, he said. There are 672 traffic islands and not even 200 have been developed. There are 1,375 undeveloped burial grounds and this year the allocation is less for burial grounds, he added.
"No new public toilets have been constructed. The GHMC collects six per cent of the building permission fee for residential ones and 8 per cent for commercial ones for rain water harvesting pits. But, there are very less pits in the twin cities. Hyderabad has lost 60 per cent of its ground water. The GHMC should appoint a additional commissioner for rain water harvesting pits. There is no action plan for water stagnation points that causes mosquito breeding. Only major lakes are in focus, while small water bodies are ignored despite budget to protect it, Bangari Prakash, the BJP floor leader said.
