Warangal: BJP eyes to cash in on civic infra failure

Warangal: With elections to the Municipal Corporation around the corner, KTR's visit to Warangal was critical for the TRS party, which was apparently in a piquant situation after the devastating rain exposing the chinks in civic infra.

Disintegrated after 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress looks to redeem itself in the civic body polls early next year. The BJP, although it failed to put up a good show in 2016, senses it has an opportunity to woo the voters by exposing the failures of the ruling TRS in developing the city.

BJP State President Bandi Sanjay's Monday visit to Warangal makes it clear that the next municipal elections would be fought on civic issues alone. This where the BJP can corner the TRS pouncing on the latter's failures in implementing several Central Government-funded schemes. It may be noted here that the BJP-led Central Government had included Warangal in the Smart Cities Mission; Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY); Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

It's been more than three years since Warangal was selected for the Smart Cities Mission; however, development remains a far cry for the denizens. The Rs 2,861-crore Smart City Proposal (SCP) is yet to take a shape.

During his visit, Bandi Sanjay tried to corner the TRS elected representatives by stating that Warangal had lost its way due to unabated encroachments.

The leaders never tried to develop the city even though the Centre had included Warangal under various schemes. "Although the Centre had sanctioned Rs 196 crore under Smart City Mission, the State has so far allocated just Rs 42 crore. Instead of granting matching funds, the State had diverted the Central funds," Sanjay alleged.

BJP is also blaming the TRS for not completing the Rs 553-crore AMRUT scheme funding, aimed at providing drinking water to all the households in the city, Bhadrakali Lake Foreshore Beautification and Revival and Development of Warangal Fort taken up under HRIDAY project.

These apart, the TRS is also facing strong criticism from all quarters for the government's failure to provide Rs 300 crore special grant for the development of Warangal city promised by the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

With KTR's one-day visit to Warangal coming against this backdrop, it generated a lot of interest among the political circles and people. Although BJP was posing too many questions over civic infra, KTR stuck to his business suggesting remedial measures to be taken to avoid flood situation again. He tried to create a sense of assurance among the Covid-19 patients by interacting with them in the MGM Hospital's Covid-19 ward.