Hyderabad: Weeks after the monsoon set in, municipal authorities and the HYDRAA are still not prepared to deal with even moderate spells of rain. One of the primary tasks, desilting of nalas, has not been completed; neither has the identification of excavated cellars been done, nor has the shifting of people from sloping terrains been completed.
The irony is that monsoon-emergency teams are not in place, and HYDRAA recently invited tenders.
Adding to this, the rain-water-holding structures are incomplete, and the recent spell of rain has exposed the poor-quality material used for laying roads, especially in the bylanes of residential localities.
The CRPF Road in Padmaraonagar, Masjid Banda crossroads, Chainamber Main Road and Arunodaya Colony Road in Miyapur are some examples where the roads are in bad shape, haunting commuters. While at some places the recent rains have resulted in bitumen being eroded and many potholes being spotted, some of these stretches have been in bad shape for months.
The onus of desilting and road restoration in the city and its vicinity lies with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the commissioner & director of Municipal Administration (CDMA). Recently, after irregularities were noticed in awarding works related to monsoon-emergency teams by the GHMC, the responsibility was handed over to HYDRAA, but the agencies have not been finalised yet. These teams play a vital role in bringing back normalcy after downpours.
Speaking about monsoon preparedness, a GHMC official said that they have completed 86.99 per cent of the desilting works. “The length to be desilted in 2025 was 946.91 km, and by this week 823.68 km has been covered,” he said.
Verification revealed that signages near nalas alerting residents are also missing. Meanwhile, in the surrounding urban local bodies (ULBs), though the monsoon has arrived, desilting is presently underway under the supervision of the CDMA as part of its ‘100-Day Action Plan’ taken up on the occasion of Telangana Formation Day to enhance municipal services.
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