State to have Tokyo-like clean authority soon

Hyderabad: State government will soon set up a body to tackle issues of environment, and it will function on the lines of a similar agency in Tokyo, according to Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao here on Friday. 

The government, the Minister said, would constitute “Clean Authority of Telangana” on the lines of a similar set-up in Tokyo to address issues of environment. “Telangana State will be the first State in the country to create its own clean authority. An MoU has been entered into for the purpose,” he said.  

Speaking at the 66th National Town and Country Planners’ Congress here, KTR said the officials of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development were at present drafting the policy. The government would enact the legislation to create the authority. The authority would tackle the problem of solid waste management and water and air pollution in all urban local bodies in the State. 

Stating that the government was also keen to introduce reforms in the town planning, KTR said the department was exploring possibilities of coming up with a new legislation to prevent deviation from approved building plans. The new legislation would make builders adhere to approved plans, he said. 

The government would take over the land on which deviations were noticed in construction of structures, he made it clear. The Minister said already 41 per cent population have been living in urban areas. To cater to the needs of growing populations, government was preparing suitable plans for the rapid urbanisation. 

Accordingly, steps were already taken to upgrade many gram panchayats in the State into urban local bodies (ULBs). At present, there are 72 ULBs in the State and gram panchayats with a population of 15,000 would be upgraded into ULBs. As many as 29 gram panchayats were identified for upgrading them into ULBs.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Mayor B Rammohan, Institute of Town Planners President K S Akode and GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy were also present. The three-day conference will deliberate on the issues of  “Urban Environmental Planning: Consequences and Challenges” with focus on topics, such as “Environmental Challenges of Urbanisation,” (ii) “Environment and Development Plans,” and (iii) “Urban Flooding” 
(local sub-theme).