Source: TOI May 26, 2014
The city of Hyderabad is poised to acquire a new avatar next week as the common capital of Telangana and residuary state of Andhra Pradesh for a stipulated period of 10 years.
Hyderabad, founded by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah in 1591, has seen vicissitudes of fortune over its 423 years of existence. The city has witnessed the rise and fall of Qutub Shahi Sultanate, brief rule of the Mughals, reign of Asaf Jahi Nizams, the Police Action and aftermath, and the formation and bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
Hyderabad has grown exponentially over the last century, in the wake of the great floods in the Musi in September 1908 that wholly devastated the town, necessitating a massive reconstruction of its civic infrastructure under the Nizams during the 1920s and 1930s. The modern Hyderabad was, thus, born out of the ruins of Musi floods. The formation of AP in 1956 catalysed the growth of the city with the influx of people from other regions of Andhra which were merged with Telugu-speaking areas of erstwhile Hyderabad State.
Even as early as in 1933, Hyderabad was made a municipal corporation with the enactment of the HMC Act by the Nizam's government. After the formation of AP, the Hyderabad and Secunderabad municipal corporations were merged to form MCH in 1960. Thereafter, in 2007, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was constituted by merging erstwhile MCH and 12 adjoining municipalities in Rangareddy and Medak districts.
Since the 1980s, the city and its environs have witnessed a population explosion, largely due to immigration. Today, Hyderabad ranks as the sixth largest metropolitan city in the country, after Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru.
GHMC is the fourth biggest municipal corporation in the country, after Greater Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, with an area of 625 sq kms and population of 80 lakh. However, compared to other metropolitan corporations, GHMC has modest revenues of Rs 2,000 crore annually. To make it a world-class metropolis, Hyderabad would require an annual outlay of Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 25,000 crore.
The cash-strapped GHMC, however, has projected an ambitious budget for 2014-15, with a total outlay of Rs 4,599 crore, including revenue expenditure of Rs 1,887 crore and capital expenditure of Rs 2,712 crore.
Many new schemes and initiatives have been envisaged in the budget to give a boost to civic amenities in the twin cities, without raising the tax rates. To balance its budget, GHMC is seeking more funds from the Central Government.
Since Telangana and residuary AP Governments would be using the civic amenities in the city, which serves as common capital, the GHMC wants liberal grants from both the states.
Though the current financial year commenced on 1st April 2014, the GHMC could not launch many of its new initiatives and projects since the Model Code of Conduct had been in force in the city from 1st March on account of municipal polls in the state and the general elections.
Only the routine works were attended to during the last three months, since civic officials were busy with general elections in the twin cities. The food scheme for providing meals at Rs 5 to the poor was launched on a pilot basis on the eve of elections. Now, the GHMC would need to operationalise this scheme fully so that 50 centres are set up across the city limits to provide meals to 10,000 persons a day.
For provision of safe drinking water in slums and poor localities, about 400 Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants have to be set up quickly so that the residents are insulated from water-borne diseases during the ensuing monsoon. Opening of more night shelters at the main hospitals and other locations needs to be expedited.
Apart from the new schemes and projects, GHMC would have to continue its focus on improvement of basic civic amenities, particularly, maintenance of roads, parks, playgrounds, street-lighting, storm water drains, sanitation and garbage clearance. Works on new flyovers, roads, parks, community halls and 1,000 public toilets among others need to be launched immediately. GHMC also has to coordinate with the Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities to ensure that the work on HMR goes on apace because the city cannot bear traffic chaos indefinitely.
The city of Hyderabad is poised to acquire a new avatar next week as the common capital of Telangana and residuary state of Andhra Pradesh for a stipulated period of 10 years.
Hyderabad, founded by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah in 1591, has seen vicissitudes of fortune over its 423 years of existence. The city has witnessed the rise and fall of Qutub Shahi Sultanate, brief rule of the Mughals, reign of Asaf Jahi Nizams, the Police Action and aftermath, and the formation and bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
Hyderabad has grown exponentially over the last century, in the wake of the great floods in the Musi in September 1908 that wholly devastated the town, necessitating a massive reconstruction of its civic infrastructure under the Nizams during the 1920s and 1930s. The modern Hyderabad was, thus, born out of the ruins of Musi floods. The formation of AP in 1956 catalysed the growth of the city with the influx of people from other regions of Andhra which were merged with Telugu-speaking areas of erstwhile Hyderabad State.
Even as early as in 1933, Hyderabad was made a municipal corporation with the enactment of the HMC Act by the Nizam's government. After the formation of AP, the Hyderabad and Secunderabad municipal corporations were merged to form MCH in 1960. Thereafter, in 2007, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was constituted by merging erstwhile MCH and 12 adjoining municipalities in Rangareddy and Medak districts.
Since the 1980s, the city and its environs have witnessed a population explosion, largely due to immigration. Today, Hyderabad ranks as the sixth largest metropolitan city in the country, after Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru.
GHMC is the fourth biggest municipal corporation in the country, after Greater Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, with an area of 625 sq kms and population of 80 lakh. However, compared to other metropolitan corporations, GHMC has modest revenues of Rs 2,000 crore annually. To make it a world-class metropolis, Hyderabad would require an annual outlay of Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 25,000 crore.
The cash-strapped GHMC, however, has projected an ambitious budget for 2014-15, with a total outlay of Rs 4,599 crore, including revenue expenditure of Rs 1,887 crore and capital expenditure of Rs 2,712 crore.
Many new schemes and initiatives have been envisaged in the budget to give a boost to civic amenities in the twin cities, without raising the tax rates. To balance its budget, GHMC is seeking more funds from the Central Government.
Since Telangana and residuary AP Governments would be using the civic amenities in the city, which serves as common capital, the GHMC wants liberal grants from both the states.
Though the current financial year commenced on 1st April 2014, the GHMC could not launch many of its new initiatives and projects since the Model Code of Conduct had been in force in the city from 1st March on account of municipal polls in the state and the general elections.
Only the routine works were attended to during the last three months, since civic officials were busy with general elections in the twin cities. The food scheme for providing meals at Rs 5 to the poor was launched on a pilot basis on the eve of elections. Now, the GHMC would need to operationalise this scheme fully so that 50 centres are set up across the city limits to provide meals to 10,000 persons a day.
For provision of safe drinking water in slums and poor localities, about 400 Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants have to be set up quickly so that the residents are insulated from water-borne diseases during the ensuing monsoon. Opening of more night shelters at the main hospitals and other locations needs to be expedited.
Apart from the new schemes and projects, GHMC would have to continue its focus on improvement of basic civic amenities, particularly, maintenance of roads, parks, playgrounds, street-lighting, storm water drains, sanitation and garbage clearance. Works on new flyovers, roads, parks, community halls and 1,000 public toilets among others need to be launched immediately. GHMC also has to coordinate with the Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities to ensure that the work on HMR goes on apace because the city cannot bear traffic chaos indefinitely.
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