Disaster plan for city

  • 19/08/2008

  • Deccan Chronicle (Hyderabad)

Hyderabad, Aug. 19: Greater Hyderabad may finally get a comprehensive disaster management plan to contain flooding in the low-lying areas besides tackling disasters. The state government has decided to study the disaster management plans of Mumbai and Ahmedabad before scripting its own plan. The plan will cover the catchment areas of Osmansagar, Himayatsagar, Musi, Hussainsagar and several other lakes and nalas that overflow during heavy rains and inundate several localities in its downstream. The minorities welfare minister, Mohd Ali Shabbir, who is also the minister in-charge for the city, chaired a district review meeting on Tuesday and assured that the issue will be discussed during the next Assembly session. Echoing similar feelings, a number of MPs, MLCs and MLAs from the city felt that a disaster plan has become the order of the day to save the city and its outskirts from being flooded. The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP from Hyderabad, Mr Asaduddin Owaisi, said, "We all should be practical when it comes to preparing a plan." He was replying to a remark by an MLC that all elected representatives will stand together to widen the nalas and improve the rainwater discharge capacity. Meanwhile, officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation came under severe criticism from MPs, MLCs and MLAs for failing to complete projects worth crores of rupees. "According to information obtained through the RTI, there are 6,000 vacancies in the GHMC. The monsoon emergency squads comprising 400 staff have been disbanded. How can one expect the corporation to work with only 50 per cent staff. The state government should fill up these vacancies," MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi said at the district review meeting. "Desilting of nalas were not done properly which led to the overflowing across the city," he added. He said though there are over 230 lakes in and around the city, the full tank level of most of the water bodies were yet to be declared. The minorities welfare minister said he would bring the issue of staff shortage to the notice of Dr Reddy along with the BC welfare minister, Mr M. Mukesh Goud.