Top officials' failure leads to many devpt projects pending in HMDA

Update: 2022-04-06 00:45 IST

Top officials’ failure leads to many devpt projects pending in HMDA

Hyderabad: The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department has failed to hold a meeting of the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), a committee set up under the Metropolitan Development Authority Act 2008, to oversee, discuss and take measures for development of Hyderabad.

Since 2018 the UMTA committee meeting has not been conducted by the MA&UD department that includes top officials of the various government wings. Due to non-holding of the meeting several development works and projects are pending or have been delayed in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).

According to GO 624 dated September 8, 2008, for the first time in the country, the MA&UD department of then Andhra Pradesh government under the Act (Andhra Pradesh Act no 8 of 2008) constituted the UMTA for Hyderabad Metropolitan Region.

Members of UMTA include the Chief Secretary, who is the Chairman, the Principal Secretary, the GHMC Commissioner, the Transport Commissioner, the secretary of Pollution Control Board, the Commissioner of Police, representatives of the South Central Railway, and the managing director of TSRTC.

These members were supposed to oversee the implementation of various traffic and transportation measures undertaken by various agencies in the Metropolitan Region. They were to ensure effective coordination in the implementation of measures undertaken by various government agencies; to deliberate and recommend effective transportation strategies for the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region; processing of funds for implementation of proposals.

The GO states that UMTA was supposed to give approval of all traffic and transportation proposals / projects from any agency in the region. The officials were given the task of discussing all new initiatives for the city.

"Various projects implementation requires a monthly coordination meeting. But it is not being conducted by the top officials. If the issues are discussed good works can be carried out. Many problems can be solved by holding regular meetings," said environmentalist and municipal administration expert Dr D Narasimha Reddy.

Experts say that the main reason for the delay in many projects under the HMDA is due to not holding UMTA meetings.

Initially things went smoothly with UMTA meeting being held from time to time. But the meetings are being ignored since 2018.

Experts are questioning the reason for not organising a UMTA meeting for more than three years. Currently many projects under the HMDA are not progressing due to various reasons, UMTA's aim is to make sure all development works are implemented smoothly, but several are still pending, including laying of bicycle tracks, rejuvenation of lakes and many development projects, said experts.

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