Hyderabad: Mohammed Shabbir Ali lambasts K Tarakarama Rao over rain-related deaths in city

Hyderabad : Senior Congress leader and former minister Mohammed Shabbir Ali on Wednesday accused the State government, and Municipal Administration Minister K Tarakarama Rao in particular, of negligence leading to the loss of three innocent lives in the capital city in rain-related incidents in the past four days. He asserted that the government’s failure to address critical infrastructure issues, such as open drains and electrical safety, has resulted in these preventable tragedies.

The first incident took place on April 29 when Mounika, a 10-year-old girl, fell into an open drain in Secunderabad due to alleged civic authority negligence.

Despite the Disaster Response Force’s efforts, her life was cut short. While two GHMC officials were suspended, no senior officials faced any consequences, he said. On April 30, a 44-year-old Greyhounds constable Solem Veeraswamy died of electrocution at the Jubilee Hills Checkpost.

The tragedy occurred when Veeraswamy lost control of his motorcycle near a rainwater-filled puddle, which may have concealed a faulty electrical leakage from a nearby pole.

He said this death could have been prevented had proper safety measures been in place.

The third incident saw six-year-old Vivek drown after falling into an open pit filled with rainwater in the Jubilee Hills area. GHMC has denied responsibility for this incident, claiming the site was on private property and not under its jurisdiction.

However, Shabbir Ali argued that the government still has a duty to protect its citizens from such hazards. Shabbir Ali criticized Minister KTR for not visiting the victims’ families or the sites of these incidents, choosing instead to focus on inaugurating the new Secretariat.

The former minister has written an open letter to KTR calling for accountability and demanding that Minister KTR take responsibility for these incidents and hold concerned officials accountable.

He also demanded that the Minister conduct a review meeting to address the infrastructure problems and prevent future tragedies.