RR collector holds meet on flood control

Ranga Reddy: Anticipating a threat to the dwellers settled around the Burhan Khan Lake, also known as Osman Nagar Lake, that has been submerged since the last four years, Ranga Reddy collector on Tuesday visited the affected area and took stock of the situation as monsoon season is set to begin.

Considered as the most densely populated area under the Jalpally municipality, the Osman Nagar area is located close to a lake having different names such as Osman Nagar, Burhan Khan and Ventakapuram lake whose boundaries fall under both Jalpally and Badangpet municipal limits.

While people living at Venkatapuram side call it Venkatapuram lake, the dwellers having abode in Osman Nagar area name it Osman Nagar Lake.

The incessant rains in 2020 and the subsequent flood fury created havoc in the area as houses, especially at Osman Nagar side were completely submerged and forced the local people to take shelter in safe areas. It has been almost four years now that no pragmatic solution was provided by authorities for the displaced people. The fear resonates in minds of people in every rainy season.

Accompanied by additional collector Pratima Singh and a team of officials, collector K Shashanka reached the Osman Nagar area, considered as most impoverished dwelling under the Jalpally municipality, and enquired about the situation.

During his maiden visit, he interacted with the locals and lent a patient hearing to their problems. The officials accompanying the collector found hundreds of houses still submerged and no proper outlets to drain out water.

Later, the collector convened a meeting with the commissioners, mainly Jalpally and Badangpet municipalities, besides officials from the Revenue and Irrigation departments at the conference hall of the collectorate complex in Kongara Kalan.

The collector wants officials to carry out repair work at all vulnerable points around the lake to avoid any untoward incident during the upcoming rainy season. “Apart from cleaning the flood flow channels around the lake, the surroundings should look neat and tidy," he said.

The collector also asked officials to prepare an advance action plan and ensure that people don’t complain about shortage of drinking water, sewage and mosquito menace, besides taking appropriate measures to check seasonal diseases during the rainy season.