Good days ahead for residents

By V. Geetanath

HYDERABAD, FEB. 22. The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has drawn up a comprehensive plan to provide adequate civic amenities in the newly developed colonies in all the seven wards for the next three years.

As part of the plan, roads, streetlights, water supply and drainage would be developed. This development came about after the visit of the Additional Director-General of Defence Estates (Cantonment), Mr. N.N. Ohja, in November last to the residential areas and his report on the status of the civic conditions.

The official noted that though colonies and housing societies were sanctioned during the last 15 to 16 years and provided with internal roads at the time of their development, they had not been repaired since then. The SCB resolved to repair all the internal roads of 230-odd colonies by 2004. An amount of Rs. 8.84 crores had been earmarked for the purpose. Certain main roads, too, would be repaired and widened at a cost of Rs. 9.8 crores.

Finding fault with the poor streetlighting, Mr. Ohja recommended installation of 20 to 30 sodium vapour lights in each colony. With the area perpetually having a shortfall in drinking water requirements -- even failing to cater to the present population -- the SCB had obtained an assurance from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board for increasing the water supply substantially as soon as the ongoing projects for augmenting water supply were completed.

The SCB, on its part, would spend around Rs. 4 crores to increase the storage and distribution network. Mr. Ohja also adversely commented on the existing state of surface and underground drainage available in the colonies and suggested the expenditure on the sewerage be doubled from the present level for the next five years.

With EPTRI being entrusted with the project report, the scheme could fructify sooner than later, officials claimed.

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