Not Just Drought Declaration, Explicit Summer Action Plan Needed: Owaisi
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has urged the Telangana government to introduce a time-bound urban relief plan addressing drinking water, heat stress and power supply ahead of summer.
The AIMIM on Wednesday called the drought declaration by the state government issued on Tuesday as “primarily a rural drought response framework” and one which does not have a dedicated urban summer action plan, and also has no actionable points on how the government plans to tackle “specific vulnerabilities” of Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri and the rest of the HMDA region.
In the absence of a “structured relief” plan for these areas, lakhs of daily wage workers, women, children and the elderly will face heat and water stress, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said at the all party meeting called by the government on El Nino and drought conditions in Telangana.
Owaisi, in a detailed note, said the government needs to pay attention to the various aspects of drought management and provided several suggestions.
While welcoming the government orders on drought declaration, Owaisi said this was a welcome first step, but it must be matched by an explicit urban summer action plan covering drinking water, water kiosks, urban employment, distribution of ORS packets, water for animals, cooling centres for people, and special protection to women, children and the elderly. “A coordinated time-bound and transparent response is essential,” Owaisi said, adding that he hopes the government will issue the necessary orders at the earliest.
The Hyderabad MP also said the government needs to pay special attention to the Old City of Hyderabad, which with its narrow lanes and dense population, presents a different set of challenges. Owaisi called on the government to reserve small tankers and community tanks for Old City localities with a telephone and offline booking route. He also urged the government to implement subsidised water supply infrastructure repairs to low income families, and ensure predictable supply timings. The government must gear up to receive complaints in Urdu, Telugu and English from people, he added.
Owaisi also asked the government to rein in prices of essential commodities and publish wholesale prices and institute a grievance redressal mechanism. On power supply, he said the government must tie-up purchases for additional power before January as demand for electricity will increase in the months to come, and ensure that the distribution network can take the expected additional loads.
