Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K.T. Rama Rao has said that the State Government focussed on development of urban areas treating them as growth engines of the economy.
Urban areas which constitute only 3 per cent of the total area of the State were accommodating over 45 per cent population and contributing to 70 per cent of the GSDP. “Urban areas constitute 2,700 sq.km of the 1.12 lakh sq.km State area. But they are contributing the bulk of the GSDP,” he said. Accordingly, focus was on ensuring their accelerated development.
Regarding the GHMC development, he said works like Strategic Road Development Programme, Central Road Maintenance Programme, construction of underpasses, elevated corridors and others were taken up to give facelift to the city. The Urban administration underwent a metamorphosis under the present government with the objective of making the cities and towns futuristic. “We have spent ₹67,500 crore on development. The change is visible. There is lot more to do,” he said.
Participating in the debate on Palle and Pattana Pragati in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, he said while huge amounts were being spent on improving infrastructure, the government took steps to ensure that nalas network as well as sewerage treatment systems were strengthened. The State Cabinet had recently allotted ₹3,866 crore for ensuring that entire solid and liquid wastes being generated were treated.
The pace of the development could be seen from the fact that as against the 21 nurseries in 68 municipalities under the Congress government, the number had grown to 1,602. The government had released ₹2,734 crore for Pattana Pragati works and top ten cities adjudged in different categories by the Centre were from Telangana.
The government enacted a simplistic, progressive and path-breaking Municipalities Act replacing multitude of municipal acts and for the first time in over two decades, ULBs were assured of steady financial flow from the State government without any lapse. The budget making process became more scientific and planned as the government had the propensity to move away from the “business as usual approach”.
