Hyderabad Chief Minister Issues Stern Warning on Garbage and Urban Cleanliness
In a decisive move to bolster urban sanitation, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy issued a stark warning to civic officials on Tuesday. He declared his intention to conduct unannounced inspections across the three municipal corporation areas within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits, vowing to take stringent action if any garbage is discovered. This announcement marks a renewed emphasis on accountability and cleanliness in the city's administration.
Early Morning Field Visits and Revenue Concerns Addressed
During a comprehensive review meeting of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department at the Secretariat, CM Reddy directed the commissioners of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Cyberabad Municipal Corporation, and Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation to initiate field visits at 6 AM. The purpose is to personally assess the ground situation regarding sanitation. "Give top priority to sanitation and cleanliness. I will come for a direct inspection and will not tolerate if garbage is found," he firmly told the assembled officials.
Shifting focus to financial matters, the Chief Minister expressed serious concerns over the poor revenue generated from outdoor advertising, despite Hyderabad being extensively dotted with hoardings of various sizes and formats. He questioned officials about the significant shortfall in expected income and instructed them to study successful advertisement revenue models from major cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru. Measures to improve collections were discussed, with Reddy also mandating strict action against advertisers responsible for revenue losses.
Infrastructure Development and Smart City Initiatives
To address chronic traffic congestion, Revanth Reddy asked officials to examine the feasibility of developing multi-level parking facilities on private lands in densely populated areas. Additionally, he proposed exploring similar infrastructure along Necklace Road to alleviate traffic pressure. In a push for modernization, officials were instructed to proceed with the installation of smart poles at major intersections and other strategic locations.
These advanced poles are envisioned to accommodate:
- Electric and communication cables
- CCTV cameras for enhanced security
- Advertisement boards for revenue generation
Notably, 10% of the space on these poles is to be reserved for government and welfare programme publicity, ensuring public awareness of key initiatives.
Comprehensive Urban Management and Capacity Building
The meeting also featured a presentation on revenue generation through public-private partnerships and other mechanisms, which the Chief Minister reviewed, offering suggestions to strengthen income streams for urban bodies. In a significant technical upgrade, Reddy directed the adoption of the Unicode system for managing streetlighting across all cities and towns in the state, including the three corporations within the ORR limits. This move aims to standardize and improve efficiency in public lighting management.
Further directives included compiling comprehensive data on all parks under municipal jurisdiction and prioritizing their development and maintenance to enhance public spaces. Separately, CM Reddy instructed officials to organize a one-day orientation programme at the earliest for newly-elected mayors, deputy mayors, chairpersons, and vice-chairpersons of urban local bodies.
"Steps should be taken for the development of cities and towns and other issues should be explained. I will attend the meeting and speak to the newly-elected mayors and chairpersons," he stated, emphasizing the importance of capacity building and direct engagement with local leaders to drive urban progress effectively.
