Government gives city a raw deal

HYDERABAD: The tall claims of the State government to develop Greater Hyderabad on a par with other metropolitan cities did not reflect in the State Budget presented in the Assembly on Friday. Civic bodies like the GHMC, Water Board and the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) have little to cheer about given the miniscule budgetary allocation. The only plus point is that the government has increased allocation to the prestigious Hyderabad Metro Rail Project by 233 percent. The government has earmarked Rs 500 crore in 2012-13 as against Rs150 crore in 2011-12.For the Outer Ring Road and annuity works, it has sanctioned Rs 1,075 crore as against Rs 677 crore in the last budget. Similarly, it has granted Rs 50 lakh for the construction of Bapu Ghat Bridge and Rs 125 crore for the Hussainsagar lake catchments area improvement project. The GHMC had submitted Rs 500 crore budget proposals for implementation of various schemes but the government sanctioned only around Rs 142 crore. The GHMC got Rs 100 crore as profession Tax compensation instead of Rs 250 crore, Rs 40 crore as property tax compensation for government properties instead of Rs 75 crore, road tax of Rs 60 lakh as against Rs 60 crore and Octrio compensation of Rs 50 lakh among others. The GHMC had sought Rs 200 crore for the COP summit to be held in Hyderabad in October this year but it did not find a mention at all leave alone grant of funds.For the proposed Krishna Drinking Water Supply Scheme Phase-III, the government earmarked just Rs 30 crore and for the Godavari and Krishna water supply to the twin cities Rs 430 crore has been earmarked as against Rs 348 crore last year.For the water board, the allocation isn’t as bad but isn’t as good either. It has got Rs 25 crore under the second Finance Commission towards sewerage works, assistance of Rs 50 crore for strengthening the water supply network in GHMC area, Rs 25 crore for improvements of water supply in slums, Rs 4 crore for conservation of Musi River and Rs1 crore for remodelling of existing sewerage system and sewerage treatment works. It has got the nod for Rs 50 crore loan for the implementation of the Sewerage Master Plan.GHMC TDP floor leader S Srinivas said, “the GHMC was neglected in the budget. If the City Ministers and MLAs had brought pressure on the government, things would have been different.”