Collectors asked to adopt towns to develop

Hyderabad: The district collectors especially those heading the newly created districts in the State will prepare a roadmap for development of district headquarters and other urban areas systematically.

Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao suggested that the officials concerned work out their roadmaps taking Siddipet as a role model and submit their reports before March end.

Interacting with district collectors and municipal commissioners via video conference from the State Secretariat here on Tuesday, Rama Rao wanted the district collectors, joint collectors and municipal commissioners to adopt an urban area or town in their district and give an overall facelift to the adopted town. He asked the officials concerned to conduct field visits and ensure speedy completion of works taken up under the proposed roadmaps and master plans.

The Minister said Telangana had an urban population of about 40 per cent against a national average of 30 per cent. He said the urban population will grow to 45 per cent as the State government was planning to upgrade major and nagar panchayats into municipalities.

“Considering the rapid urbanisation, we need roadmaps and master plans in place to develop the necessary infrastructure and ensure systematic growth of cities and towns,” he asserted.

Rama Rao said the Telangana Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TUFIDC) is ready to release necessary funds to facilitate infrastructure development in tune with the rapid urbanisation. The funds will be in addition to funds received from the State and the Central governments. “We need to bring qualitative change in services to be offered to denizens of our cities and towns through the development of traffic junctions, footpaths, bus bays, drainage canals, parks, crematoriums and model markets,” he said.

Principal Secretary for Municipal Administration and Urban Development Arvind Kumar, TUFIDC Chairman Viplav Kumar and other officials also attended the video conference.