Pattana Pragathi For 10 Days From Feb 24 : KCR's best script for future of urban living

Hyderabad: The Telangana Cabinet on Sunday decided to organise the Pattana Pragathi programme for 10 days from February 24 in all towns and cities in the State.

To finalise the guidelines for the proposed programme, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao called a state-level municipal conference on February 18 at Pragati Bhavan.

KCR hoped that the Pattana Pragathi programme should lay a strong foundation for the best urban living and its goal should be a journey towards it. The CM said the urban areas should be clean with good sanitation and greenery.

There should be a planned progress and citizens should get better services. In all, steps should be initiated to improve the living standards of the people in the urban areas. He said the programme should be held successfully with larger and active participation of the people.

He said an assessment should be made on what the situation now in the towns and cities, and how it should be in the coming days and action plans should be prepared, funds should be made available and their progress should be made methodically, he added.

The Chief Minister wanted the Pattana Pragathi programme should be undertaken with ward as a unit. He instructed the officials to appoint a Special Officer for every ward and identify works to be done ward-wise and also town and city–wise.

He asked the officials to identify illiterates also as part of the programme. In the next five days, complete the process of creating four people's committees per ward in corporations and municipalities.

KCR said his government would release Rs 78 crore per month for the GHMC and Rs 70 crore for other municipalities and corporations in the State from the Finance Commission funds. Funds for February and March months this year should be given based on the population figures of the towns and cities.

Urban areas in the State will get Rs 148 crore per month funds. Hence there will not be any fund crunch for the programme. Greenery, sanitation works, clean drainages and filling-up of sewer pits, strengthening the drinking water network in the urban areas, improving main roads and internal roads and filling up of potholes, identifying sites to set up cremation and burial grounds, removing thorny bushes and unwanted vegetation, selecting sites to set up veg and non-veg markets, besides enumerating playgrounds and open gyms undet the programme.

The Cabinet has also decided to thoroughly review the schemes of Rajiv Swagruha, Abhaya Hastham, Bangaru Talli and Vaddileni Runalu and take a decision. The Cabinet also decided to sell the houses of Rajiv Swagruha in open auction.

To work out the modalities, a three-member officers committee with Housing Special Chief Secretary Chitra Ramchandran, Principal Secretary Finance Rama Krishna Rao and MA & UD Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar is constituted.