Information Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy announced that HYDRAA will oversee all of Hyderabad within the Nehru Outer Ring Road, supported by 150 officers and 946 outsourced staff.
Published Sep 21, 2024 | 5:59 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 22, 2024 | 9:59 AM
HYDRAA demolished N Convention Centre of Nagarjuna. (Supplied)
Sending a chill up the spines of those who raised unauthorised buildings in FTL and Buffer Zones of lakes and nalas, the Telangana state cabinet has invested the Hyderabad Disaster Response, Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA), with not only more powers, but also statutory backing.
The cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the state secretariat in Hyderabad on Friday, 20 September, cleared a proposal to provide statutory status for HYDRAA besides investing it with powers to decide which structure it should pull down.
The HYDRAA has hitherto been an enforcement agency. It used to enforce the decisions of the local bodies concerned or other departments which issue notices declaring the constructions on nalas or in lakes as illegal. Now these powers would be vested in the HYDRAA.
Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, briefing media persons on the decisions taken at the cabinet meeting, said that the HYDRAA will have jurisdiction in entire Hyderabad within the Nehru Outer Ring Road. As many as 150 officers and 946 outsourced employees have been allotted to HYDRAA to speed up its operations.
By another decision, the cabinet approved the change of names for three universities. The Women University, Koti, Hyderabad will be named after Veera Naari Chakali Ailamma, Telugu University after Suravaram Pratap Reddy and the Institute of Handloom Technology after Konda Lakshman Bapujji.
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the cabinet cleared the revised estimate for Rs. 4,637 crore for the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC). It is proposed to complete the project within the next two years — by September 2027.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the project, which has been hanging fire for decades, will become a reality. The project can draw water from Srisailam Project dead storage. The Dindi Balancing Reservoir works which have been pending for quite some time in Nalgonda district would be completed soon. The aim is to complete at least 400 metres of tunnelling work per month for completing the SLBC project in time
The cabinet also approved payment of RS.500 as bonus per quintal to farmers who grow super fine variety of rice over and above the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The cabinet also okayed the proposal to provide superfine rice against ration cards from January next year.
Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy said the SLBC remained a non-starter under the BRS regime and alleged that KCR did not want the scheme to provide water to farmers in Nalgonda district. The SLBC project would make the entire Nalgonda district fluoride-free.
The other decisions taken by the cabinet included constitution of a 12-member committee headed by special chief secretary of Roads and Buildings Department to finalise alignment for Regional Ring Road South, location of a logistics park in an area of 72 acres in Manoharabad, recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in eight medical colleges, and creation of an industrial park in 58 acres in Khammam district.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
