Telangana Government mulls separate wing for lakes preservation in ORR limits

Hyderabad: Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao on Sunday said that the government would set up a separate wing for maintaining and preserving the lakes inside the Outer Ring Road limits.

The Minister held a review meeting with the irrigation, Water Board, HMDA, Revenue officials at GHMC office on Sunday. He said that the government was taking up a special action plan for preserving the nalas, lakes in the GHMC limits. In wake of the heavy damage caused due to incessant rains and flooding, the government was preparing a comprehensive action plan on lakes and nalas.

The Minister asked the officials to check the strength of the bunds and stability with the help of irrigation department officials. He said that there was a need to strengthen the bunds and if needed, other repairs works should also be taken up.

The Minister said that the separate wing would be headed by a chief engineer in the irrigation department and there would be a special commissioner from the GHMC. They would supervise and remove encroachments on the water bodies if there were any. Apart from this, the government also proposed to set up a task force with officials from the Water Board, HMDA, Revenue, Irrigation and some other department officials.

The task force would take action whenever there was a need to take action. As the irrigation department officials monitor the water levels in the dams during the flood situation, the task force officials would also check the water levels in lakes and other water bodies and check the inflows and outflows during the rainy season.

The government would bring stringent rules for preserving the water bodies in the new GHMC Act, which would be brought soon. The Act would have provision which provides right to demolish the houses constructed on the water bodies and other encroachments, he informed.