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Hans India
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Hans India
Pre-monsoon works face hiccups as water logging grips parts of city
Hyderabad: With the onset of monsoon, the city is witnessing heavy water logging, thanks to the incomplete pre-monsoon preparations. The residents alleged that officials had ignored the seriousness of water logging and had taken no step to prevent the water inundation in localities. Despite repeated warnings and past experiences of flooding of various areas across the city, the monsoon related work appears to be moving at a slow pace. There was no proper desilting of manholes, storm water drains, and nalas which can prevent water logging. In several areas, there was no desilting and if completed following the heavy rains, heaps of desilted mud remained uncleared from the roads. Though the civic body has taken measures to ensure that no rainwater to be inundated, it has been observed that the roads were blocked due to water logging. According to activists, the status of monsoon-related works including desilting and works under the Telangana government's Strategic Nala Development Program (SNDP) in GHMC limits is still underway and nowhere near completion, despite passing the deadline. 'A brief 15-minute downpour is leaving parts of main roads in knee-deep water, which exposed the unpreparedness for the monsoon season,' said Mohammed Ahmed, an activist. Activists said that construction activities must cease during the season. However, the works are continuing in different parts of the city, posing risks to drivers during heavy rainfall, as the entire stretch where the works are going on are dug up, and filled with potholes. Venkat Rao a resident of Surya Nagar colony in Shaikpet said, 'During heavy rainfall, numerous internal roads within our locality see severe water logging, with water levels rising up to the knees. It is a challenge for us in accessing the main road. In these flooded streets, we found ourselves stranded in the middle of a submerged road, unable to proceed further in our vehicles.' During rains, various areas in the city are witnessing water logging including the worst affected colonies in Tolichowki, Attapur, LB Nagar, Uppal, Begumpet, Kukatpally, Miyapur, Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Vanasthalipuram, Hayath Nagar, Somajiguda, Ameerpet, Nampally, among others. These areas have been witnessing massive flooding during rains. Also, several localities in the Old City like Talabkatta, Tadbun, Yakutpura, Dabeerpura, Darulshifa, Bahadurpura and Old Malakpet. Moreover, the GHMC identified over 141 locations that are affected by water logging and measures were taken to address the issue permanently.
Hans India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Minister directs officials to expedite land acquisition process
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad District in-charge Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has instructed the officials to expedite the land acquisition process required for the development works being undertaken in the city. The minister reviewed the development works being carried out in GHMC along with the officials at the Corporation's head office on Saturday. He instructed the officials that the incomplete works undertaken in SRDP (Strategic Road Development Program) should be completed on a war footing and made available to the public. The project officer was instructed to complete the Falaknuma ROB works by July and the Shastripuram ROB by August. The minister instructed that silt removal works be taken up immediately and to ensure that there are no problems during the rainy season. In the wake of the heavy load on the Jawaharnagar dump yard, the Additional Commissioner of Sanitation requested the Minister that there was urgency of establishing an alternative dump yard. Letters to the District Collectors of Rangareddy, Medchal Malkajgiri, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri and Sangareddy to take steps to acquire land for the dump yard were sent. The Additional Commissioner explained to the Minister that efforts are being made to resolve the complaints received regarding street lights, but there is some delay in resolving them. , and from now on, steps have been taken to resolve the complaints received regarding street lights on a daily basis. The Minister ordered steps to ensure that the street lights do not light up in the afternoon. Commissioner RV Karnan explained to the Minister that the Zonal Commissioner has been instructed to extend the purchase of street lights and materials to their subcontractors by two months since the contractor tender has been completed. The officials explained that 90 percent of the works undertaken in the first phase of SNDP have been completed, and the risk of flooding in 150 colonies has been prevented with these works. The Minister ordered the works be completed expeditiously without any problems for the people during the rainy season. He suggested that the beautification works in the city should be completed and should be undertaken in the slum areas as well.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
HYDRAA holds meet on monsoon preparedness
Hyderabad: In an effort to address Hyderabad's recurring flooding issues during the monsoon, the HYDRAA held a high-level consultation on Friday. The focus was on identifying the Musi river's boundaries and the nala (stormwater drain) network within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits. The meeting brought together experts from various departments and agencies, including Revenue, Survey of India, Irrigation, Hydrology, the Strategic Nala Development Plan (SNDP), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation, among others. Although HYDRAA is not officially associated with the Musi beautification project, the body received several complaints regarding encroachments along the riverbanks. Experts proposed adopting a method similar to the identification of Full Tank Levels (FTL) for lakes, proposing that the Maximum Flood Level (MFL) of the Musi be determined using historical records, village and revenue documents, satellite imagery from NRSC, and hydrological surveys. The goal is to clearly demarcate the flood-prone areas and regulate development around them. Historical data from major floods in 1908, 1954, 2000, and 2008 were also examined to better understand the Musi's behaviour and inform future planning. The discussion also highlighted the alarming state of the city's stormwater drains. Participants noted that the GHMC limits house nearly 940 culverts — many of which are clogged with garbage, severely restricting the natural flow of rainwater. Several nalas were either narrowed or disconnected, increasing the risk of urban flooding. Experts recommended restoring lost links in the nala network and widening or realigning certain stretches, provided it doesn't endanger existing structures. They highlighted that the same level of planning and foresight used in road development must be applied to nala infrastructure as well.
Hans India
02-05-2025
- Climate
- Hans India
GHMC fast-tracks monsoon works in LB Nagar segment
Hyderabad: To prevent flooding in various areas in L B Nagar constituency, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has paced up the works for the upcoming monsoon season. The civic body took up Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) works in the constituency including the SW drain in five areas of the zone. To address the issue of flooding in several areas, the storm water drain network in L B Nagar is being revamped. In the last few years, heavy rains have been lashing the city within a short span and this was resulting in flooding of several localities in L B Nagar like never before. Especially, the residents have to live with excess floodwater from nala which is causing damage each year to the surrounding colonies. Nearly five residential colonies get inundated during heavy rains, but now after these works there would be no flooding in these areas in future. On Thursday, Commissioner RV Karnan conducted an inspection of several development projects in the LB Nagar zone. He urged officials to take immediate action to finalise the storm water drainage systems and address any unfinished drainage projects to safeguard low-lying areas from flooding in the forthcoming monsoon season. He was accompanied by LB Nagar Zonal Commissioner Hemant Keshav Patil. The Commissioner inspected the works of 350 metres of storm water box drain construction from Nagole Sai Nagar to the RTO office, as well as the SRDP National Highway flyover project and initiatives aimed at enhancing various sports facilities in the area beneath the Bairamalguda Flyover. Karnan instructed the engineering officers to take immediate action to finalise the storm water drainage system designed to mitigate flooding in the low-lying regions of LB Nagar zone, as well as to complete all outstanding projects related to the Nala initiated by SNDP before the upcoming monsoon season. He urged them to keep him updated on any challenges they might encounter in this process. EE Ramesh Babu provided a clear explanation regarding the impact of the storm water construction, stating that it would protect approximately five colonies from flood inundation. When inquired about the timeline for completion, he confidently assured that the project would be finished within a month. The Commissioner instructed the EE to finish the project before the upcoming monsoon. Additionally, the Zonal Commissioner has been directed to take all essential measures to ensure the completion of the unfinished box drain and nala development projects. Later, the Commissioner inspected the work undertaken on the SRDP flyover at Uppal X Roads and the National Highway extending to Narapally CPRI during this visit.
The Print
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
From reformist group to voice of Ezhavas, why SNDP Yogam's stock is high in Kerala politics
Post the 2024 general election, CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan had urged SNDP Yogam to resist 'saffronisation', as CPI(M) lost much of its core Ezhava votes to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). To this, Yogam chief Vellappally Natesan responded firmly, saying no one can politicise SNDP, 'neither the saffron parties nor the Communists'. The state's largest Hindu community, Ezhavas have traditionally supported the Left and make up an estimated 23 percent of Kerala's population. Much of the Yogam's following is among Ezhavas, categorised as Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Thiruvananthapuram: Last year, following the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) debacle in the Lok Sabha elections, of the many fingers pointed within the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for its poor performance, one was directed at the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam. The Yogam is a social service organisation that has represented the Ezhava community in Kerala since its establishment in 1903. On paper, the organisation is not a political one. But, on the ground, the Yogam, and the following that it brings with it, has a significant impact on the state's politics. A nuanced reading of Vellappally's response, seen in the context of the Yogam's growth under him, translates to the organisation having no permanent friends or enemies in politics. As Kerala inches closer to local body polls slated for later this year and assembly polls next year, CPI(M) appears to be cosying up to the same Yogam it once targeted for allegedly aligning with BJP. The shift also underlines the importance of the Yogam in Kerala politics. 'We can't say SNDP or Vellappally directly influence state politics. But the issue is that the difference in votes between LDF and UDF in Kerala is always less. So, even one vote becomes crucial during elections,' Dr P.J. Vincent, head of the department of history at Kozhikode's Government Arts & Science College, told ThePrint. The need to embrace the Ezhava community became apparent when Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan defended Vellappally's controversial remark made earlier this month in northern Kerala's Malappuram district. Vellappally, who finished 30 years at the helm of the Yogam, said Malappuram was the 'state of one particular community where even fresh breath was hard to find' for Ezhavas. Vijayan defended him, saying the Ezhava leader was not against any particular religion or community, but his views were directed at a particular political party, apparently referring to Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). The chief minister's haste in defending Vellappally also stems from the fact that Ezhavas' support to BJP has been on an upward trajectory these past few years. According to the CSDS-Lokniti post-poll survey, 32 percent of Ezhavas voted for BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, along with 5 percent of the Christian community. In contrast, in 2021, 53 percent of Ezhavas had supported the Left and formed LDF's largest support base, while support to BJP from the community was only 23 percent. The shift assumed significance since the Left-led alliance could only win one of the 20 Lok Sabha seats it contested in Kerala last year, while its vote share diminished from 36.29 percent in 2019 to 33.34 percent in 2024. With the state heading for crucial local body polls in December and assembly polls in 2026, support from each corner becomes crucial. 'Vijayan is safe to defend Vellappally. He knows the Opposition can't question Vellappally,' said Athul Nandan, a research scholar of political science at University of Kerala. Nandan added that CPI(M) retaining its support among Ezhavas is crucial to the party's prospects in the 2026 assembly polls in Kerala—the only state where it is in power. Speaking to ThePrint, an SNDP Yogam functionary said on condition of anonymity that the distance between Vijayan and Vellappally has narrowed significantly since the Lok Sabha polls. 'The Pinarayi Vijayan government knows that Ezhava votes are crucial for them to retain power. The chief minister is making conscious efforts to keep Vellappally close to him,' he explained, adding that many Yogam members had voted for BJP as the party's election campaign involved visits to each Yogam office in the state. Also Read: Local body & assembly polls round the corner, LDF kickstarts month-long anniversary celebrations Rise of SNDP Yogam It was 1888 when the spirital leader and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru consecrated a Siva idol in Aruvippuram village on the banks of Neyyar river in Thiruvananthapuram. With this act, he became the first non-Brahmin to consecrate an idol in Kerala. He famously said he had consecrated an 'Ezhava Siva' idol. It marked a turning point in the fight against caste discrimination in Kerala. It underlined that the right to worship was for everyone and not just 'upper caste' Brahmins, and Guru's statement that the Earth should be a place where everyone could live without divisions of caste and religion, rippled through the state in the years to come. In 1903, one of Guru's followers, Dr Padmanabhan Palpu, founded an organisation to represent and uplift the state's backward Ezhava community. Named after Guru himself, the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam not only raised the social standing of the community, but also brought economic advantages to them. Today, SNDP Yogam runs several educational institutions, hospitals, and other bodies, and enjoys clout as a political pressure group. 'The Yogam inspired the people to construct more temples and gave propaganda to the activities of Narayana Guru. Consequently, a large number of temples were built all over Kerala, because it was partly on the basis of religious supremacy over the 'lower castes',' wrote Dr Praveen O.K., assistant professor in the department of history at Sree Kerala Varma College, in his 2018 paper titled 'Sree Narayana Guru and SNDP Yogam'. Praveen said libraries and schools were also attached to these temples, which emancipated 'lower classes'. Later, the Yogam also stepped into agriculture and industries, as most Ezhavas were dependent on agriculture, and promoted trade and commerce. From reformist group to caste-based outfit Dr Praveen's paper mentions that the activities of the Yogam 'proved that they used the legislative as a forum to present their grievances before the authorities and seek redress'. But Vincent said the organisation's shift from a reformist group to a caste-based outfit was sooner rather than later. 'Within 10 years of its establishment, the organisation had lost its relevance as a reformist group. From upholding values of humanity and equality, it had transformed into a caste-based organisation that solely looked into the welfare of the (Ezhava) community,' he said, referring to a letter Guru wrote to Dr Palpu in 1916. In the letter, Guru explained that the organisation was limiting itself to caste pride and announced his resignation. Vincent, however, added that grouping together on the basis of caste identity was important at the time of SNDP Yogam's formation because the struggle for equal rights was deeply rooted in casteism. Jayakumar, an SNDP functionary based in Thiruvananthapuram, told ThePrint the Yogam's activities are mostly coordinated through its family units. 'We identify if any community member needs financial aid for medical or other purposes, and we collect money and make sure we are there for each other,' Jayakumar said. He added that around 200 units coordinate among members of Ezhava community and hold membership drives. SNDP since Vellappally Reacting to the appointment of Dr P.M. Mubarak Pasha as Vice-Chancellor of the state-run Sree Narayana Guru Open University in 2020, Vellappally had accused the LDF government in Kerala of hurting the sentiments of the 'Sreenarayaneeya' community. The government, remarked, was succumbing to the demands of minority communities when SNDP Yogam demanded a member from the community be appointed as its head. 'The community became a strong pressure group after Vellappally became its general secretary,' Vincent said, suggesting that Vellappally influenced the Vijayan-led government to appoint many Ezhavas to various positions within the state administration. He said the SNDP, which was at one time merely politically aware and supported successive state governments, started directly interfering in Kerala's politics after Vellappaly took charge. A businessman from Alappuzha, Vellappally was appointed the Yogam's general secretary three decades ago. His leadership also marked the gradual increase in the organisation's influence over state politics, with several attempts to join with other Hindu caste groups and even floating a political wing of the Yogam named Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS). In 2012, Vellappally joined hands with the Nair Service Society (NSS) leadership under the late K.R. Narayana Panikkar to present a unified Hindu front. But differences between the two leaders came in the way. There were attempts to revive the alliance, but in vain. In December 2015, Vellappally undertook a 16-day Samatwa Munnetta Yatra to unite Hindu caste groups across the state, at the culmination of which he announced the formation of BDJS. The 'secular' party's slogan, he declared, would be 'equality and justice for all'. Vellappally's son, Thushar, was appointed president of BDJS. However, the rally attracted undue attention due to presence of several BJP functionaries. Significantly, the Ezhava leader had met BJP leader Amit Shah in Delhi months ago in July to discuss problems faced by the majority Hindu community in Kerala. In the 2016 assembly elections, BDJS was part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and contested 37 of the 140 seats in the state, but didn't win any. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party conteseted four of the 20 seats in the state, including the Wayanad seat, where Thushar lost to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Thushar finished third, with only 7.25 per cent votes. He continues to lead BDJS, but Vellappally has distanced himself from the party. 'He doesn't have specific politics. He can be a supporter of LDF, UDF or BJP as per his needs,' said the SNDP Yogam functionary quoted earlier. He added that there has been an attempt to appoint BJP supporters as Yogam office functionaries in the state following the formation of BDJS. As the Yogam functionary put it: 'Vellappally stands with the ruling party in the state to get what he wants. But Thushar wants to stick to BJP.' (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: Why Kerala's Catholic bishops are throwing their weight behind Waqf Amendment Bill
