Budget leaves Warangal high and dry

Warangal: It's a repeat of sorts. Like the last year, the State budget left Warangal high and dry without significant allocations. Barring Rs 250 crore earmarked for the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC), the 2021-22 budget presented by Finance Minister T Harish Rao has nothing that accelerates the growth of Warangal. Despite the kind of branding it has as the destination next to Hyderabad, Warangal has nothing to command in the budget from the State Government.

The government which projects the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park as a fibre-to-fabric integrated textile cluster that could provide livelihood opportunities to at least 10,000 has made no mention about it in the budget. It's learnt that though it has spent Rs 36 crore, the administration is yet to ensure all the amenities conducive for the textile park in Sangem mandal.

The State Government also ignored the demand for establishing Sainik School in Warangal, despite the Centre having given its nod long ago. In November 2015, the then Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari said that decks have been cleared for the Sainik School and the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was expected to set the foundation stone.

Then it was said that the file for allotting land and other administrative sanctions was pending in the CMO. However, after six years, it remained a dream. On the other hand, the Kakatiya University (KU) has been starving for funds for the last few years. But for the block grants, the varsity was getting nothing. The ongoing outer ring road (ORR) project also needs allocation. This apart, the government has not allocated its full share of funds for the PMSSY super-speciality hospital coming up on the Kakatiya Medical College premises.

Last year, the government released Rs 12 crore out of its obligation Rs 30 crore. On the irrigation front, the erstwhile Warangal district is in need of funds to speed up the work on Devadula and Kanthanapally Sujala Sravanthi projects. The only solace in this year's budget was the Rs 250 crore allotment for the GWMC. The government which allocated a special development fund of Rs 300 crore per annum for three years didn't fulfil it last year, and reduced it to Rs 250 crore this year.

"It was a disappointing budget especially for Warangal. But for the Rs 250 crore, the budget gave nothing for the city development. Last year, the State hadn't allocated a single rupee under the special development fund," Forum for Better Warangal president Pulluru Sudhakar told The Hans India.