The Hindu              04.09.2013

All roads halt here

Motorists in the south of the city continue to negotiate through the most congested of roads, a year-and-a-half after the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) proposed to take up large scale road-widening work here.

Authorities had identified about 40 road stretches, to be developed at a cost of Rs. 250 crore, the work was to be complete by the end of 2012.

A meeting in May last, called by Mayor Majid Hussain, and attended by all seven MLAs representing Old City as well as GHMC officials, had decided to take up the works on a war-footing and assured full co-operation.

As the current year inches towards its end, there is still no sign of the works being completed. In fact, the authorities have not even issued notices to many property owners due to various reasons.

The GHMC preferred to acquire properties after taking the consent of the property owners, instead of the land acquisition route to avoid legal tangles.

Officials admit that works are progressing at a snail’s pace. Of the 40 road stretches identified for widening, only a few major thoroughfares have been completed while work is yet to begin on the interior roads. The work is also plagued with legal issues, religious structures coming in the way and property owners insisting on re-evaluations. Shortage of manpower is another major hindrance, it is said.

For example, road-widening works on the Chanchalguda junction to Madannapet got delayed after a few property owners moved court. Work on the Chandrayangutta-Errakunta stretch is not complete as CRPF authorities have not handed over their property. Similarly, at Bahadurpura junction, three more properties await demolition.

Meanwhile, officials have issued notices to property owners at Fatehdarwaza – Volga hotel stretch (92 properties), Morning Star – Rein Bazaar Chaman (30), Rakshapuram to Edi Bazaar (330), Gowlipura road (163), Med’s Hospital – Petla Burj (49) to name a few most congested stretches. The consent of the land owners is awaited.

However, GHMC South Zone Commissioner N. Ravi Kiran is confident of speeding up the works in the next few months.

“The works were delayed due to festivals and other priorities but certainly there will be progress on this front in the next few months,” he claims.

Hyderabad Mayor Majid Hussain has assured of the completion of the work in the next few months. Road-widening works on major thoroughfares of the Old City like Midhani, Saidabad and Keshavgiri, which were delayed for many years, were completed in the last one year. On the interior stretches, Mr. Hussain said the GHMC was in negotiations with property owners on compensation.

The Hindu              04.09.2013

State nod for broke civic body to borrow Rs.10 cr. to clear bills

Staff Reporter

Road repair and drain works in the city may go on unhindered if the contractors of the Kochi Corporation accept part payment of their long-pending bills from the civic body.

The cash-strapped civic body has got permission from the State government to raise a loan of Rs.10 crore from the Syndicate bank for clearing the bills of its contractors. Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany shared the information with the councillors of the corporation at the council meeting held on Tuesday.

Incidentally, the contractors had earlier threatened to stop all the works of the city corporation if it failed to clear the arrears by the first week of September.

Mr. Chammany also read out the government order permitting the local body to raise the funds. The bank had offered to give the loan on condition that the corporation repays it on time. It also demanded a clearance letter from the State government as a precondition. The corporation had earlier repaid two loans of Rs.5 crore each offered by the bank.

The delay in convening a special meeting of the council to discuss the financial crisis of the civic body invited sharp criticism from a section of the ruling front councillors as well as the LDF members.

Raising the issue in the council, the Development Standing Committee chairman and ‘I’ faction councillor T.J. Vinod alleged that the Mayor was least concerned about the financial crisis.

The Mayor failed to explain to the council why a meeting was not convened as promised earlier.

The councillors had every right to know about the financial health of the local body, he said. N.A. Shafeeq, a CPI(M) councillor, too raised the issue of violation of rights of the councillors.

In his reply, Mr. Chammany said a meeting would be held on September 23 to discuss the issue. The meeting had to be postponed as details on the financial position of the body had to be collected.