Title - Flush with funds, GHMC lines up projects

HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has decided to concentrate on major projects, what with its financial position improving in the past one year.Nearly half a dozen flyovers and bridges apart from link roads, road widening and junction improvement projects would be taken up by the GHMC. For these, the corporation has earmarked over Rs 378 crore under the Greater Hyderabad Development Plan (GHDP) in the budget proposals for the financial year 2013-14.Officials said the corporation will take up rail under bridges (RUBs) at Uttamnagar (Safilguda), Sanjeeviah Park and Tukaramgate, road over bridge ( ROB) at Falaknuma and provision of another vent at Rani Gunj in the next few months. Cost estimations are being worked out for a link road between Raj Bhavan and Begumpet to be taken up soon. Another major flyover at Gachibowli at a cost of Rs 38.91 crore will be taken up soon for which tenders have already been floated.Officials said Balanagar and Narsapur junction flyover is being taken up by the roads and buildings (R&B) department at a cost of Rs 90 crore for which designs are being prepared. Another major flyover at Amberpet (No 6 junction) near Sri Ramana theatre has been entrusted to the National Highways Authority of India.Tukaram gate RUB, which was originally planned for two lane, will have four lanes. Though two bridges - one at Kandikal gate and another at Uppuguda -- were approved a couple of years ago, the GHMC has taken up only Kandikal project. It hopes to complete it by December 2013 and take up the Uppuguda bridge after that.

Officials said more funds have been earmarked in the proposed budget for 2013-2014 for various projects because of improvement in the financial position of the corporation. The corporation even cleared a few months ago a loan of Rs 475 crore it took from the State Bank of Hyderabad.

"Revenues of the corporation have increased in the current financial year, especially from the property tax and building permissions. Now more project works would be taken apart from regular infrastructure facilities in the city," GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu told TOI on Friday.

Under this plan, various infrastructure projects like flyovers, widening of link roads, road widening, improvement of footpaths and junctions would be taken up. The GHDP project with an outlay of Rs 813 crore was launched last year. In the last financial year (2011-12), Rs 18.50 crore was spent by the corporation under this plan and another Rs 215 crore was earmarked for the current financial year.