In tune with the lake development and beautification, efforts are now being made to set up 56 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) across the city to decentralise the sewage treatment process. Presently, there are about 23 STPs in the city which treat nearly 775 MLD sewage in the city and now measures were being taken to set up 56 more STPs near the lakes. Each of these plants will be covering four to five lakes. This was announced by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner M Dana Kishore during the municipal corporation’s general body meeting held here on Thursday.
The GHMC Commissioner, who is also Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board Managing Director, said a requisition was made to the Central Government to sanction funds for setting up more STPs under Ganga Action Plan.
“There was no response but we will be approaching the Central Government again,” he said.
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Issues pertaining to poor road conditions, mosquito menace, no supply of sports materials and others, rocked the meeting with several of the corporators and elected public representatives raising these issues.
Malkajgiri MP Revanth Reddy said many complaints were being raised about overflowing drainage in different areas including Jubilee Hills but officials were not addressing these issues.
A few other corporators complained of an increase in communicable diseases in the city and wanted the municipal corporation to intensify fogging and anti-larval activities. Admitting the issue, the Commissioner said about 70 suspected dengue cases were reported in Hyderabad district and 20 in the neighbouring districts of Medchal and Ranga Reddy.
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The municipal corporation has identified 309 dengue prone areas and 151 malaria prone areas in the city. Anti-larval operations and measures to curb mosquito menace were being intensified, besides conducting 500 health camps, he said.
During the meeting, many corporators expressed their unhappiness over the municipal corporation’s move to stop the supply of sports kit. Former Mayor Majid Hussain said the municipal corporation used to conduct summer camps every year and supply sports materials to the poor and needy budding sports talent. “But for the last two years, sports materials are not being supplied,” he said.
In response, Mayor Bonthu Rammohan said the issue will be addressed and directed officials to follow the old practice of supplying sports kits.
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Corporators complain about officials
Lack of coordination between corporators and officials came to the fore with several corporators complaining that officials were not responding to issues of colonies.
Banjara Hills Corporator Vijaya Laxmi R Gadwal alleged that despite many appeals, officials at zone level does not address issues, especially those in the slums. A similar complaint was made by Venkateshwara Colony Corporator, Manne Kavitha Reddy.
Echoing the same, MLC Prabhakar charged that many IAS officers working at zone level remained confined to their offices and not visiting slums. “They do not even take phone calls from corporators nor call them back later,” he said but later extended apologies to the officials for his remarks.
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Irked over the complaints, a few officials in the council meeting stood up and were about to raise their objections but relented after the GHMC Commissioner intervened. Kishore said at times officials while participating in a meeting do not take calls. “If the members are feeling bad about this, I extend apologies,” he said.
Bakrid: Pvt firm to collect waste
The GHMC is hiring a private agency to collect the animal waste generated during Bakrid festival in the city and use the same as animal feed. According to officials, about 2,000 tonnes of animal waste is generated during the festival in the city and it has been a challenge for the municipal corporation to collect and dispose it. This year, GHMC is distributing 3.69 lakh bags of 25 kgs capacity to residents for collecting the animal waste. Under a pilot basis, a private agency is being hired to collect the animal waste and use it as animal feed and generate remuneration for GHMC, said Khairatabad Zone Commissioner Musharraf Ali Faruqui. Not all parts are consumed. A Kakinada-based fish feed company has agreed to collect about 60 trucks of animal waste. This apart, bio-degradable bags are being distributed to the people to collect animal waste, he said.