A special commissioner will be appointed under GHMC for development and protection of lakes within the Hyderabad metropolis, as per the decision taken by the state government. Directions for the same have been issued by Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) K.T. Rama Rao to the Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar, during a review meeting on Monday.
The special commissioner will be given the responsibility of devising a comprehensive action plan for development of the 185 lakes and other water bodies within the city of Hyderabad, Mr. Rama Rao said. This will expedite the already ongoing programmes for the beautification, development and protection of lakes, he said. The special commissioner will be responsible for sewerage management, construction of sewage treatment plants, diversion of treated water, fixing Full Tank Levels of lakes, conservation of irrigation sources, beautification of lakes, strengthening of lake bunds, development of green cover on the bunds, and other such tasks.
The district level lake protection committee will work under the special commissioner, who will have to work in coordination with Irrigation, Revenue, Municipal Administration and State Pollution Control Board, apart from all other related departments. The Lake Protection Force, which is presently functioning under the Enforcement wing, will henceforth work under the Special Commissioner.
Mr. Rama Rao reviewed the works taken up for development and conservation of lakes, and development of stormwater drains by the Strategic Nala Development wing, which is integral part of lake protection. He also reviewed other programmes of GHMC including SRDP, link roads, Musi river development and road development.