Arvind Kumar inspects storm water drains in Old City

Hyderabad: As part of beautification of Charminar, Principal Secretary at Municipal Administration Arvind Kumar directed the officials to take up cleaning of the surroundings regularly, apart from installing lightings, so as to have an excellent night view of Charminar. During his inspection of storm water drains in the Old City on Wednesday, he visited Charminar. Later, he also visited surrounding localities that included Shalibanda, Himmatpura, Abdullah building, Murgi chowk, City College and Nayapul areas to personally inspect the storm water drains. At Shalibanda, the official observed that the decades-old storm water drains from the Nizam’s era are still functioning smoothly in the Old City.

Officials informed that the drains were constructed after the Musi floods of 1908 under the guidance of Mokshagundam Vishveshwarayya. The drinking water supply system for the city was also designed at that time. He instructed the zonal commissioner to improve the sanitation near the Nayapul area within a week. He also directed them to put up fencing and also to take up lighting of the arch bridge. Chief Engineer Ziauddin, Zonal Commissioner Srinivas Reddy and other GHMC officials were present on the occasion. Later, Arvind Kumar asked the GHMC officials to implement the Public Properties Defacement Act strictly and ensure that public places, roads, street light poles, fly overs, bus shelters and government offices should not to be defaced.

He also directed the zonal commissioners to instruct the deputy commissioners and medical officers to immediately focus on removal of flexis, banners and defaced material on electrical poles, street roads and junctions immediately. He also asked them to ensure that unauthorised flexis conveying birthday greetings, political banners at educational institutions, colleges and coaching centres at internal streets, street light poles and junctions of GHMC should not be permitted. “The zonal commissioners have been told to penalize the institutions and people who stick advertising material on the walls of bus shelters, central divider blocks, walls of flyovers and Metro Stations. Likewise, responsibility should be fixed on sanitary field assistants in their respective jurisdictions,” he said.