Congress Slams TRS Govt For Bad Roads, Water Logging

· Congress asks KTR to explain status of ‘GHMC 100 Days Action Plan’

· TPCC accuses TRS Govt of concealing data on farmers’ suicide

· One Telangana farmer is committing suicide in every 6 hours: Nizam

Hyderabad, August 7: The Congress party has strongly condemned the TRS Government for deteriorating condition of roads in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

“Due to continuous neglect, Hyderabad has now turned into Potholes Capital of India. GHMC top officials themselves have admitted that there were more than 4,000 potholes on city roads,” Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Official Spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin said while addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Wednesday.

Syed Nizamuddin said that the GHMC could not get away by blaming the rainfall for potholes on city roads. “If a road is unable to withstand a few millimetres of normal rainfall, then it is clear that it was constructed using sub-standard material. Instead of giving zone-wise list of potholes, GHMC Commissioner Dana Kishore must explain why the quality of roads was so bad and what action he took against the contractors,” he demanded.

The Congress leader reminded of ‘100 Days Action Plan’ announced on February 18, 2016, by the then Municipal Administration Minister and present TRS Working President K. Tarakarama Rao. “KTR had made several promises and none of them have been fulfilled even after 1265 days. KTR had also promised to pay Rs. 1,000 to people who show one pothole on city roads. Today KTR can change his offer to pay Rs. 1,000 for any road which is free from potholes,” he said.

Nizamuddin said that the GHMC has identified 27 critical, 116 major, 133 minor and 32 other water logging places. This clearly means that almost all roads will turn into pools whenever it rains. Instead of finding a permanent solution for water logging, GHCM is wasting tax payers’ money on temporary solutions. Further, he said as many 13,509 families in 101 localities of 16 Mandals are vulnerable to heavy rains. But nothing has been done by the government to find a permanent solution for them. “People of Hyderabad had given TRS a huge mandate in GHMC elections. TRS had won more than 100 out of 150 seats, but it did nothing to improve the condition,” he alleged.

The TPCC Spokesperson reminded that as part of ‘100 Days Action Plan’ KTR had made several promises including completion of 569 BT Road works; 50 Bus bays; 100 Public Toilets; 40 Model Markets; Reduction of 1116 Garbage Vulnerable Points; 150 fully equipped gymnasiums; 329 sports grounds, etc., He alleged that the data placed on GHMC website on ‘100 Days Action Plan’ was inaccurate and misleading. “We’ve personally visited almost all 50 locations where GHMC has claimed to have constructed/developed bus bays. At many places, either there are no bus bays or old bus stops have been shows in the GHMC list as new ones. This is a major scam and clear case of embezzlement of public funds,” he alleged.

“TRS Govt must release White Paper on farmers’ suicides”

“Earlier people used to believe that huge mandate for a party bring stability and growth. But TRS has proved it wrong in both GHMC and also in State. Growth of Hyderabad has come to a standstill ever since TRS came to power. It did not add a single major infrastructural project and instead, ruined the old insfrastructure developed during Congress regimes,” he said.

Similarly, he said despite winning 88 out of 119 seats in Assembly elections held in December 2018, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao turned Telangana into a ‘Dictatorship’ or ‘Monarchy’ kind of government. “CM KCR purchased MLAs from other parties to wipe out opposition. Today the situation has turned so worse that the State does not even have a full-fledged cabinet even 7 months after elections. As against the provision of 18 ministers, there are only 12 ministers in KCR Cabinet. The Chief Minister is holding more than a dozen key portfolios like Energy, Finance, Industries, IT, Municipal Administration, Revenue, Commercial Taxes and Irrigation while having control over two-third of State’s budget,” he said.

Nizamuddin also accused the TRS Government of concealing figures pertaining to farmers’ suicides in Telangana State. He pointed out that the TRS Government, on August 1, issued a GO sanctioning Rs. 14.58 crore towards payment of ex-gratia to 243 genuine farmer families who have committed suicide due to failure of agriculture. He said similar compensation of Rs. 22.34 crore and Rs. 27.42 crore was paid in May 2016 and October 2017 respectively. Since each family is to get ex-gratia of Rs. 6 lakh each, the total ex-gratia amount sanctioned by the government shows that more than 1070 farmers have committed suicide due to failure of crop ever since TRS came to power.

“More than 4,000 farmers, across Telangana, have committed suicide. But by releasing ex-gratia amount to only one-fourth of victims, TRS Govt is misleading the people. He pointed out that in the GO issued on August 1, 2019 the list contains cases from 24 out of 33 districts. Interestingly, Siddipet and Gajwel are not in the list. “Is CM KCR trying to show no farmer from his native district has committed suicide?” he asked.

“By concealing data, TRS Government is denying ex-gratia to 3/4th of families of farmers who committed suicide. TRS Govt must release a White Paper on farmers’ suicides giving village-wise and district wise break up of farmers who committed since June 2014,” he demanded.

Hyderabad City Congress Committee (HCCC) Minorities Dept chairman Sameer Waliullah was also present in the press conference. (Hydnow)