Comprehensive project scheduled to be completed in 3 phases within a year
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao drinks water during the foundation laying ceremony for the Malkajgiri water project. (Photo: DC/File)
Hyderabad: Over four lakh residents of Malkajgiri and the neighbouring circles, who have been facing water supply issues since decades, took a breather on Sunday when Telangana State Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao laid the foundation stone for the long-pending comprehensive water supply project for Malkajgiri circle in Defence Colony.
World Bank has sanctioned Rs 338.54 crore for the project that is scheduled to be completed in three phases with a year’s time frame. While addressing the gathering, K. Chandrasekhar Rao criticised the previous government that ruled for decades but failed to provide adequate water to city supply to the city.
“Even after decades of ruling, Hyderabad city is receiving only 340 MGD (million gallons of water per day) against the actual demand of 490 MGD. And, in the coming years, the demand for water in the city would cross to 740 MGD as per estimation,” said the Telangana CM.
Hinting at the Telugu Desam party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, he said, “He says he brought the Hitec city image to Hyderabad. But, even now a normal rainfall causes water stagnation on the main roads.
They cannot even ensure good infrastructure in areas like Raj Bhavan, where knee deep water collects after a normal downpour,” he said. He added, “Unless Rs 10,000 crore is spent, Hyderabad will continue to have bad infrastructure, road and regions will get inundated during heavy rains. Most of the nalas have been encro-ached by land sharks.”
As part of the project, ground level reservoirs and elevated service reservoirs will be constructed in the circle. After the project is completed 55,000 new connections will be given.
Hitec area still thirsts for water:
Residents of Malakajgiri are lucky to see a comprehensive water project which started rolling on Sunday. The region got a sanction of Rs 338.54 crore under Major Development Projects (MDP) for completion of the project.
However, sanctions for similar comprehensive water projects for Sherlingampally, Patancheru, Rajendranagar, LB Nagar and Kukatpally that got a sanction worth Rs 1050.807 crore under JNNURM.
“Since the JNNURM programme of UPA government has been closed the sanctions to these water projects were cancelled. Now, the water board has to apply under the new scheme that NDA government is likely to launch under former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s name,” said a source in Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
Officials estimate that it will take at least five months for the new sanctions to be made. Of the total Rs 1,050.807 crore sanctioned under the JNNURM scheme, Rs 439.51 crore was to be spent on laying of water distribution lines to colonies in Hitec city. Most areas in IT corridor are without water lines forcing residents to buy water.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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