KTR seeks support from Centre with initial seed funding of Rs 100 cr
Hyderabad: The Telangana government plans to set up a sanitation hub, which would serve as a sanitation and water ‘lighthouse’ for the State, the country as well as South Asia, MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao said on Wednesday.
The Minister said the hub will be part of the Urban Centre for Excellence being planned by the State government. He said Telangana, to meet the ambitious goal of having the most liveable cities in India, is keen on developing the sanitation hub and prepared a high-level blueprint too. This was done with support from Administrative Staff College of India. The seed funding commitment was made by the State government. The process to finalise the strategic plan and fostering key strategic partnerships is currently on, he said.
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Rama Rao, who met Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi on Wednesday and submitted a letter on the subject, sought support from the Centre with an initial seed funding of Rs 100 crore.
Rama Rao said Telangana earmarked land and support resources for the initiative and expects that the hub will achieve self-sustenance in five years. “It will be a one-of-its-kind facility in the country and the region,” Rama Rao said in his letter. He pointed out that the State was already making progress in urban sanitation with focus on faecal sludge management (FSM) and non-sewer sanitation. “We aim to build on this experience in Warangal, which is already proving to be a leader in urban sanitation innovations,” he informed the Union Minister.
KTR asks Centre to hand over Begumpet airport
Telangana asked the Centre to hand over the Begumpet Airport complex, including the hangars and office buildings, to the State for setting up training academies. In a presentation to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rama Rao pointed out that the State government signed MoUs with Aero Campus Bordeaux and Greenfield University, UK, to run training academies. The Minister said Airports Authority of India, which owns the Begumpet airport, agreed to hand over the premises but placed a high rental amount. “We request you to give the premises at a nominal rent so that it will create trained manpower both for the State as well as the country,” he said.
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