Rs. 50 lakhs each sanctioned for 13 segments

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, APRIL 19 After much haggling by BJP and MIM legislators, the Hyderabad District Development Review Committee on Thursday decided to allocate Rs. 50 lakhs to each of the 13 city Assembly constituencies of the Rs. 10 crores being released by the Government to tide over the water crisis this summer.

The amount -- to be released in two instalments of Rs. 25 lakhs each -- would be spent on repairs in the light of reports of contamination of water. The repairs would be undertaken by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board based on recommendations made by the legislators. Initially, the MLAs wanted Rs. 5 crores released by the Government to be distributed equally among the city constituencies. This was ruled out as the HMWSSB had already spent Rs. 1.77 crores on various works.

Officials told the meeting that the next instalment of Rs. 5 crores was expected to be released within 10 days. The legislators objected to the taking up of works by the HMWSSB without their concurrence. Frayed tempers were witnessed when Dr. N. Sivaprasad, Minister for Information and Public Relations and incharge for Hyderabad district, who was in the chair, exchanged words with Mr. Syed Sajjad, MIM MLA.

Mr. K. Vijayarama Rao, Minister for Roads and Buildings, and the Musheerabad MLA, Dr. K. Laxman, exchanged words after the Minister objected to the attempts by the latter to attribute motives in the allocation of water repair works to the constituencies.

Mr. Vijayarama Rao remarked that it called for enquiry when Mr. D. Nagender (Congress) raised the issue of non-completion of the Red Hills-Godeki Kabar water pipeline that was taken up in the 1980s. Describing it as a `criminal waste of money', he suggested that technical experts be consulted and action be taken against officials for the defective work.

Mr. M.G. Gopal, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, HMWSSB, told the meeting that the board would take up water audit as 45,000 million gallons a day of water remained unaccounted for. He assured that action would be taken against erring employees.

The meeting took over four hours to discuss the top item on the agenda--drinking water supply in Hyderabad district. It briefly debated the school education before adjourning for the day. The DDRC is likely to be convened again after 10 days. Mr. C. Krishna Yadav, Minister for Labour, was present along with Dr. P.K. Mohanty, Commissioner, MCH, and Mr. Rajeshwar Tiwari, District Collector.

The legislators -- Messrs. N. Indrasena Reddy and Prem Singh Rathod (BJP), S. Rajeshwar, G. Sayannaa and T. Srinivas Yadav (TDP), and Akbaruddin Owaisi, Mumtaz Ahmed Khan and Asaduddin Owaisi (MIM) attended.

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