GHMC special drive to remove illegal billboards

Hyderabad: GHMC has decided to remove all illegal billboards and advertising boards on footpaths and roads within a week. GHMC Commissioner M Dana Kishore held a review meeting on various issues with the GHMC senior officials, Zonal Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners on Monday.

The commissioner said that the illegal billboards on footpaths in the city were causing severe menace to pedestrians and ordered the deputy commissioners to take a special drive to remove them.

In the view of monsoon seasonal rains in the second week of June, monsoon special squad has been assigned for each municipal ward for the monsoon season. As there is about a week time for the arrival of rains, the monsoon special squads have to take up the removal of plastic wastes and construction debris from all the main roads in the city, the commissioner added.

In the locations where 'Saaf Hyderabad-Shandar Hyderabad' is being implemented, funds will be allocated to construct two water harvesting pits. Deputy and Zonal Commissioners were directed to make residential welfare associations aware about the importance of water harvesting pits and impel them to construct rainwater harvesting pits in their residential colonies.

Dana Kishore said that for the residential buildings in the city, which pay Rs 1,200 to one lakh should be reassessed. He asked the deputy commissioners to call for tenders, as GHMC have been granted for the additional vehicles for the removal of debris in the evenings. He also ordered to issue notices to Sanitary Field Assistants (SFAs) who were being absent for their works for long time.

The commissioner said the new pipelines would be replaced in places where there is water pollution. He added that the city should avoid wasting of water and imposing of penalties for burning debris on the roads.Dana Kishore said that many programs would be conducted in Greater Hyderabad with a slogan, 'Air Pollution Prevention' on June 5, on the occasion of World Environment Day.

In particular, the zonal and deputy commissioners were ordered to prevent the burning of debris and to conduct a number of active programs to use public transportation, rather than private vehicles for the removal of garbage.

Specifically, it is necessary to reduce the use of personal vehicles to avoid air pollution and follow the lane discipline on the roads. As part of Haritha Haram, a large number of saplings will be planted by students, senior citizens and colony welfare association members, said Dana Kishore.