TS pleads with Finance panel for more funds

​Hyderabad:  The Telangana government on Monday poured out its woes before the 15th Finance Commission in completing the projects taken up in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and in Panchayats due to fund crunch.  

On the second day of its visit to the state, the Finance Commission, headed by its Chairman NK Singh, held a series of meetings with the officials and representatives of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA and UD), GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Panchayat Raj departments here. 

GHMC Mayor B Rammohan pleaded with the Commission to earmark special funds for the developmental programmes taken up by the government in Greater Hyderabad.  He explained the progress in the project works mainly the construction of flyovers under the SRDP (Strategic Road Development Project). He also brought to the notice of the Commission the impact of the paucity of funds on the completion of solid waste management projects and sewage improvement schemes taken up in the city. 

The state government has taken up the SRDP project at the cost of more than Rs 20,000 crore. The implementing agency -- GHMC -- has to depend on banks and other external funding agencies to meet the fund requirements for the completion of the works. Only 30 per cent of the SRDP works were completed due to non-availability of funds.    

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials requested the Commission to recommend to the Union government for the allocation of sufficient funds to develop civic amenities in the urban local bodies.They said that the completion of the ongoing developmental programmes will not complete without the Central assistance.  They also briefed the Commission the efforts put by the government in developing parks and greenery under the Haritha Haaram (Mass plantation programme) in Hyderabad.
 
Panchayat Raj officials told the Commission that the state government’s endeavour in the completion of Mission Bhagiratha works aiming to supply potable drinking water to every household. The officials urged the allocation of Central grants to the scheme as the NITI Ayog already recommended to the Centre to assist the state in the execution of the project. 

The government wanted more funds for road works as the cost of the project increased abnormally due to price escalation of raw material.