Hyderabad, Nov.22 (Hydnow): Former Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir has accused Municipal Minister KT Rama Rao of misleading people by making false claims on development of Hyderabad, especially on Hyderabad Metro Rail Project.
Speaking to media persons on Sunday, Shabbir Ali said that the foundation stone for HMRL was laid in October 2005 when he was Hyderabad District Incharge Minister in Dr. Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy’s cabinet. “KTR has made a false claim in the Hyderabad Development Report, which he released in Telangana Bhavan on November 20, saying that the TRS Govt has spent Rs. 17,290.31 Crore on the project. This claim is not only false but insane and totally misleading. The State Government holds only 10% stake in the project and it has no financial commitment. Its only job is to procure land for the Metro Stations and track. Since the beginning of the project in 2005, the State Government has spent about Rs. 2,700 crore. The Central Government was to bear 10% of the project cost and as against the revised project cost of Rs. 18,800 crore, the Centre has only paid Rs. 1200 Crore and the remaining Rs. 600 crore are yet to be released,” he said.
Shabbir said that the original estimated cost of the project was Rs. 14,500 Crore and it was revised to Rs. 18,800 Crore in November 2017. He said that the delay caused due to objections raised by the TRS Government on route alignment has escalated the project cost by over Rs. 3,000 crore. “The contribution of TRS Govt in Metro Rail Project is nil. However, KTR is shamelessly making false claims to mislead the voters,” he said.
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He challenged KTR for an open debate on Hyderabad Metro Rail Project and offered to quit politics if KTR proves that the TRS Govt has spent Rs. 17,290 Crore on the project.
Ali also ridiculed KTR’s claim on TRS Government’s contribution in bringing Krishna and Godavari River water supply to Hyderabad. He pointed out that the Godavari Drinking Water Supply Project was started in December 2008 at a cost of Rs. 3,375 crore to bring 10 TMC of water to Hyderabad and its peripheral areas. Similarly, the Krishna Water Supply Project was conceptualised during Dr. M. Chenna Reddy’s regime and the foundation stone was laid by the then CM Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy in 1994. It was targetted to bring 16.5 TMC of water to Hyderabad from Nagarjunasagar in three phases of 90 MGD or 5.5 TMC in each phase. Phase I was completed in 2004; Phase II was completed in 2008 and the foundation stone for Phase III was laid on June 1, 2013. I was the Hyderabad District Incharge Minister when Phase II and Phase III were initiated. Therefore, there is no question of any contribution of TRS Govt in resolving drinking water crisis of Hyderabad,” he said.
Speaking about Basti Dawakhanas, Shabbir Ali said that the concept was borrowed from some other State and poorly executed. “Existing Primary Health Centres in Hyderabad were completely ignored. Most of the Basti Dawakhanas don’t have staff, medicines, equipment and other facilities. Why the conditions in Osmania, Gandhi and other government hospitals were not improved? What happened to the promised funds of Rs. 100 Crore for Osmania and Gandhi Hospitals? Where are the multi-specialty hospitals promised by the TRS Govt?” he asked.
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He said that the entire Health Sector remained neglected under the TRS regime and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao did not visit any of the hospitals despite nearly 1500 people losing their lives due to Coronavirus and nearly 2.5 lakh people getting infected with the disease. As a cover-up, a fake Covid hospital (TIMS), with just beds and no medical facilities or staff, was created at Gachibowli to cheat the people. “Why TRS Govt failed to regulate private hospitals who looted thousands of patients in the name of Covid-19 treatment? TRS Govt did not cancel the license of a single private hospital despite the proof that they robbed the patients with wrong billing. Now the same TRS Govt is trying to mislead the people by showing ill-equipped Basti Dawakhanas,” he said.
Shabbir Ali challenged KTR for an open debate on all the claims he had made in the Hyderabad Development Report and asked him to finalise a date and venue for the same before the GHMC elections. (Hydnow)