Government has issued orders trifurcating the work flow of the Strategic Nala Development Programme under GHMC, and reshuffling the existing posts to accommodate three functional heads for the project intended to expand and develop the storm water drain structures in the city.
As per the orders issued on Tuesday, the senior most superintending engineer from Housing wing, K. Kishan, has been redeployed to SNDP as chief engineer in charge. All the staff working under him in the Housing wing has been repurposed for SNDP, while the housing projects under him have been handed over to another SE in the department.
In the Housing wing, Mr. Kishan had been instrumental in completing prestigious assignments such as Asia’s biggest double bedroom housing project in Kollur. He had also worked in the Disaster Management and Maintenance wings earlier, and had drafted the Disaster Management manual for GHMC.
In SNDP, he will monitor the storm water drain development works at LB Nagar, Secunderabad and Khairatabad zones, besides the municipalities of Pedda Amberpet, Badangpet, Jalpally and Meerpet. The existing OSD, C. Vasantha, will handle the works at Kukatpally, Serilingampally zones, and Nizampet, Kompally, Peerzadiguda, Boduppal municipalities apart from the Hussainsagar Surplus nala works and Neknampur lake works.
Chief Engineer (Projects) M. Devanand has been given the SNDP works of Charminar zone and all other works related to nalas that do not come under the purview of SNDP. GHMC sources informed that the reshuffling of posts was taken up for expediting the works pertaining to drains in view of the approaching monsoons. MA&UD Minister K.T. Rama Rao is said to have expressed dissatisfaction at the pace of the works since the launch of SNDP over a year ago.
Mr. Rama Rao convened a meeting on Tuesday to review the SNDP works, and issued instructions to officials to ensure safety measures to prevent untoward incidents in the coming monsoon season. Directing the officials to complete works pertaining to strengthening and repairing of retaining walls on war footing, he said that the government has taken up a safety audit extensively for nalas in all major municipal corporations and municipalities, including GHMC, to safeguard lives.
As a part of the exercise, officials have been instructed to identify weak points on the nala to be strengthened and repaired. KTR warned that senior officials concerned will be held responsible if any untoward incident takes place due to lack of safety measures near the drains.
He asked GHMC Commissioner D.S. Lokesh Kumar to review the nala safety measures and SNDP works on weekly basis, and Mayor Vijayalakshmi to supervise the works.
Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar and senior MA&UD officials participated in the meeting.
