Latest news with #GreaterHyderabadMunicipalCorporation
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
GHMC halts new cellar excavations from May 30
HYDERABAD: In view of the monsoon setting in, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation will not allow any new cellar excavations from May 30, 2025, until the end of the season. For cellars already excavated, notices will be served to builders and site owners, instructing them to implement standard precautionary measures, including soil strengthening, construction of retaining walls, proper barricading, and prevention of water stagnation. Officials have also been directed to complete the survey and take action in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). A review meeting in this regard was held on Thursday by GHMC Commissioner RV Karnan and Chief City Planner Srinivas with Town Planning officials from the head office, zonal offices and circle offices. 428 dilapidated structures identified According to GHMC officials, 428 dilapidated structures and 62 cellar excavations have been identified so far. Of the 428 structures, action such as repairs or vacation has been completed for 131. The remaining 297 structures are under follow-up, including issuance of notices, assessment of structural safety and counselling of owners for vacation.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Jiyaguda abattoir proposed to be built under EPC mode
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has proposed to construct the much delayed modern abattoir at Jiyaguda under the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode of contract, with the cost totally footed by the Corporation. It is learnt from reliable sources that proposals have been approved by the GHMC Commissioner and forwarded to the government for approval. After the government's approval, orders will soon be issued, shared the officials. The EPC mode has been proposed after an earlier proposal to build the slaughterhouse under the Public-Private-Partnership ran into rough weather, stalling the project before it could start. In 2018, the government had accorded administrative sanction for design, and construction of the modern slaughterhouse for sheep and goat at Jiyaguda under 'Design, Finance, Build, Operate, Own and Transfer' mode, at an estimated cost of ₹42.5 crore. It was proposed then, to allow the stakeholders from the butcher and related communities, to organise into cooperatives and participate in the auction. The concessionaire was to operate the slaughterhouse for 33 years, and pay annual lease amount to the GHMC to be revised annually. Tenders were called four times, and concessionaire was selected. 'The idea of cooperatives failed eventually, when there were internal disagreements about footing the bill. They have given to GHMC in writing that they could not proceed with the construction, and that GHMC could go ahead with tenders,' shared an official. Other hiccups pertained to grant of environmental clearance from the Telangana Pollution Control Board as the proposed abattoir is on the banks of Musi River. After construction of the facility, another round of tenders will be floated to select the concessionaire for operation and maintenance of the slaughterhouse, the official said. The existing GHMC abattoirs at Ramnaspura, Amberpet, and New Bhoiguda are all operated under the same mode, and Jiyaguda will be the fourth in the line. Modernisation of the abattoirs is being actively pursued by the state government after Supreme Court's directions. All the conventional slaughterhouses have been closed where the operations were manual and unhygienic.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
148 years after it was built, Hyderabad's James Street Police Station gets a new lease of life
148 years after it was built, the iconic James Street Police Station with its soaring belfry, clock and louver windows that came to be known as Ramgopalpet Police Station, has got a fresh lease of life. Lit up with an off white light, the street offers a glimpse of life in Secunderabad as it was in the colonial era. 'We researched using archival material and photographs to ensure that the geometrical similarity, form, colour, original features, and built components, including the Palladian pediment and semi-circular arches of the building are restored to the original form,' said conservation architect Surya Narayan Murthy when asked about the restoration. 'It took us 14 months to execute the project as the building had suffered extensive damage with deterioration of lime plaster, which in turn harmed the wooden rafters due to water seepage and moisture,' says Mir Khan of Deccan Terrain who carried out the restoration work. 'The wooden rafters had to be replaced, the 20th century cement plastering intervention had to be undone. The seepage affected the madras terrace (built using terracotta tiles and lime mortar) as well as the jack arch roofing,' informs Mr. Khan. Prior to the restoration, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had asked the Hyderabad Police to vacate the building in 2016 citing its dilapidated condition. The building was designated a heritage building in 1998 and the police department had a plan to turn into a museum. Now that goal appears closer as the 400-kg brass bell in the belfry has been taken down and kept on the ground floor as an attraction. 'The police department has a plan to use it as an outpost or turn it into a museum,' informed Mr. Khan. The James Street Police Station named after the Resident James Kirkpatrick was financed by the businessman Seth Ramgopal who had his home in the same street. While the home is built with influence from Rajasthani architecture, the police station had an air of a colonial building.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Early onset of monsoon catches GHMC off guard
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation's monsoon preparatory work is wanting in a number of aspects, while the authorities blame the early monsoons for the predicament. Long stretches of roads are still dug up or not re-laid after being filled, posing danger for commuters. Nala de-silting is a half-completed job with the excavated silt heaped on the roadside at several locations. Widening of the stormwater drain has not been finished at several locations, and open drains continue to pose grave danger. Trenches dug for various works still lie open near Mehdipatnam foot overbridge, the Fort Road in Gudimalkapur, Road No.1, Banjara Hills and several other areas. 'The stretch from Virinchi Hospitals up to the Taj Krishna junction has been dug up for nearly two months., which has reduced the road width considerably leading to traffic issues. The restoration works have started only recently, after the monsoons have arrived, and the works are the cause of traffic snarls now,' shared Shafiur Rehman, a local resident. Restoration works have not even started on the stretch between Mecca Colony and Anas Model School in Tadban near Shamseergunj where the road was dug up for stormwater drain works. One more infamous instance is the road that passes via Qutb Shahi Tombs, a heritage complex and tourist location. The road remains dug up for years, say the residents of the surrounding colonies. 'Fun fact: A friend's kid was born when the Seven Tombs roadwork started. That kid is now going to kindergarten. Meanwhile, the road is still a crater-filled warzone. Time moves on. GHMC? Not so much,' posted one Muzaffar on social media platform X, in a long thread about the road's condition. At several other locations such as Chintalkunta, Jubilee Hills, and Serilingampally the trenches dug up for sewerage works have been filled up, but restoration works have not been taken up so far. GHMC is the sole authority to grant road cutting permissions to all agencies, whether private or public. The corporation collects road cutting charges from the utilities, so that the road can be restored after the work is finished. Officials in charge admit that there was inordinate delay in granting the road cutting permissions this time, due to hiccups in work redistribution in the Engineering wing. The works which were to begin in November, began towards the end of January. Added to it is the early arrival of monsoons, which were not expected till June-end. 'To the field level Engineering officials, we gave time up to June 10 to wrap up the pending works and make the roads motorable. Our teams are on the job,' assures a senior official. Part of the reason is also the transition from the agencies to which the Comprehensive Road Maintenance works were granted. During their five year stint, the CRMP agencies were authorised for granting the road cutting permissions on several major stretches, and also were responsible for restoration works. Desilting While GHMC has awarded tenders for desilting of stormwater drains much ahead of time, the work done is hardly enough to withstand one bountiful rain, as proven in case of Chandanagar area, which was flooded after Tuesday's rain. Commissioner of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency, who inspected the drain near the Lingampally Road Under Bridge (RUB), noted that the drain was clogged completely by volumes of garbage. HYDRAA forces had to be instructed to clear the trash and facilitate free flow of water. 'Silt was piled up by the drain at Aramghar crossroads, but not removed immediately. With one rain, all the silt would be back in the drain, along with the public funds spent on the work,' fumes a resident.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Monsoon hits Telangana, but desilting of 300 km stormwater network is yet to be completed
Hyderabad: Though the monsoon hit the state three days ago, nearly 300 km of the stormwater network is yet to be desilted by Greater Hyderabad civic officials. The accumulated waste in these drains poses a risk of flooding abutting areas, if not cleared to allow free flow of stormwater. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Incidentally, these details emerged hours after a 40-year-old fell and drowned in an open nala in Suraram on Tuesday night, According to data from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), of the total network of 951 km of stormwater drains and nalas, only 651 km have been desilted, while work was on for the remaining 300 km. The civic body has allocated Rs 50 crore for this year's desilting activities. The intermittent rain over the past three days has complicated the desilting operations, as waste and silt continue to accumulate and block stormwater drains, leading to waterlogging and flooding on roads. Several Metros, including Mumbai and Bengaluru, were already experiencing flooding in the first few days of the monsoon. Among the six zones in Greater Hyderabad, the Khairatabad zone, covering the central parts of the city, lags significantly with only 54% of desilting work completed thus far. This situation has necessitated the Khairatabad zone to invite expressions of interest for providing stormwater drains (solid and liquid) cleaning services by using jetting and suction mechanisms and detecting bottlenecks using robotic technology fitted with cameras to eliminate waterlogging points on main roads. According to GHMC officials, the early onset of the monsoon has disrupted the desilting operations. 'We initiated the cleaning of nalas and stormwater drains in April, with plans to wrap it up by the first week of June, anticipating the monsoon's arrival around June 10. While manual labour is being utilised for clearing stormwater drains, earthmovers and jetting machines have been deployed at nalas. However, efforts are underway to complete the remaining works within the next 10 to 15 days,' a senior GHMC engineering wing official said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Survey of dilapidated buildings yet to be completed On the other hand, GHMC is yet to complete the survey for the identification of dilapidated structures and old compound walls. Three weeks ago, the GHMC commissioner had asked the town planning wing to serve notices on the owners of all dilapidated structures and carry out immediate vacation or sealing of the most dangerous structures. According to GHMC officials, if the owner undertakes the repair of the dilapidated structure as per the opinion, it must be ensured that the repair works meet the standards and a certificate on structural safety was submitted. A special drive for demolition of dilapidated structures was being carried out periodically.
