Experts Seek Board to Fast-Track Rs 5,257-Cr Warangal UGD Mega Project
Experts urge a single authority to speed up execution of tri-city underground drainage plan.
Warangal: Urban planning experts and local stakeholders have urged the Telangana government to constitute a dedicated statutory body for the newly sanctioned Rs 5,257-crore underground drainage mega project in the tri-cities of Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet.
They said such a body was essential to ensure timely execution of the project in line with the Warangal Master Plan 2041 and to prevent delays caused by routine departmental procedures.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy recently approved the administrative funds for the project, which is intended to modernise sanitation across the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation area. Under the present funding pattern, the Centre and the state will contribute 25 per cent each, while the remaining 50 per cent will be raised through bank loans or Public-Private Partnerships. German development bank KfW has already shown interest after reviewing the Detailed Project Report.
Experts said a specialised administrative mechanism was needed for a project of this scale. The proposed statutory body is expected to function as a single-window system for technical and administrative sanctions, reducing the time taken for file movement between departments.
“The primary hurdle in executing such a large-scale Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is the absence of a statutory body,” said a senior official familiar with the plan. “Without a unified board, departmental sanctions are likely to face delays as files move through multiple offices for approval. A board enables faster decision-making and helps meet time-bound targets, as all concerned officials are part of a single decision-making forum,” he noted.
The proposed body is likely to be headed by a senior IAS officer as special officer. Suggested members include the collectors of Hanamkonda and Warangal, the GWMC commissioner, the city mayor, the chairman of the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority, and superintending engineers from the irrigation, panchayat raj, roads and buildings, and water works departments.
Local MLAs, the in-charge minister and environmental experts are also proposed to be part of the body to deal with issues such as waste-to-energy generation and Sewage Treatment Plant management.
“Lending institutions favour a dedicated entity empowered to manage funds and oversee environmental safeguards,” a project financial analyst stated.
Advocates of the proposal said Kuda should be made the convenor for inter-departmental coordination. They said a statutory body would not only streamline clearances but also improve the prospects of securing international funding, as lenders generally favour a centralised agency with legal authority.
Officials view the project as critical to Warangal’s urban transformation. The underground drainage network is expected to replace open sewers and septic tanks, helping address mosquito-borne diseases and monsoon waterlogging, while strengthening infrastructure needed to attract IT firms and global investment to Warangal.
