What about Hyderabad’s nalas? Big talks but no progress

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HYDERABAD: The state of Indian nalas proves the serious lack of infrastructural capacity of the Indian sewage system.

The Strategic Nala Development Plan (SNDP), which was created specifically to address urban flooding, has not progressed an inch, a revelation that has surprised not only Greater Hyderabad Municipal officials but also Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar.

During a recent review meeting about the plan’s progress, it was revealed that the SNDP officials’ detailed project report (DPR) was unrealistic, and no bidder expressed interest in taking on the project. For nearly a year, major tenders were invited. Despite the fact that they have made little progress, SNDP officials have spent roughly Rs 5 crore in public funds on wages and other incentives. The Government of Telangana, enraged by the officials’ behavior, has now set a deadline for completing tenders. It wants the majority of the nala widening projects finished before the monsoon.

The GHMC had planned to start work on the SNDP at a cost of Rs 858 crore. Widening and improving nalas, and removing encroachments, are among the projects. After the floods in Hyderabad in October 2020, the SNDP was established, more than a year ago. The project was put out to tender three times, but no contractors responded.

SNDP authorities, for their part, have been requesting tenders for over a year that have neither given a solution to urban floods nor allowed for the start of operations. Ironically, SNDP officials even provided fake reports to KT Rama Rao, the Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Government of Telangana, who twice inspected the project’s progress.

Rao, alarmed by the officials’ tardiness, directed the chief secretary to intercede and supervise the project’s development. He also instructed him to monitor the project on a weekly basis and hold officials accountable if it did not proceed as planned. Since the government has already contributed funds and decided to provide special funds for the program’s implementation, any further delay could have serious consequences.