HYDERABAD: Newly posted Administrator Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) Fakhir Shakir has said that HMC is facing severe financial constraints yet it was struggling to deliver within its limited budgetary resources. He said HMC would try to make Hyderabad an international city. He announced building a parking plaza in the city to address chaotic traffic conditions.
He was addressing members of the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) on Tuesday. He sought the cooperation of HCCI, members of the business community, and traders in this regard to enable him to deliver the goods. He hoped this cooperation would be extended to him.
He maintained Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) is responsible for the maintenance of major streetlights whereas those on lampposts fall in HMC’s domain. He disclosed cattle markets would be organized after public auction and cattle pens would be shifted to cattle colonies. He said the solar energy systems would be made functional in the colony.
He disclosed fire brigade stations would be set up in Hyderabad’s Kohsar and cattle colony areas as HMC is facing serious issues in the existing fire extinguishing system. He said these fire tenders also cater to fire emergency needs of other districts like Matiari.
He said HDA is tasked with storm water drains of the city and added that HMC was hiring more refuse vans for garbage disposal. He promised to ensure proper sanitation and water supply systems in the city’s graveyards while non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are collaborating with HMC for the installation of a water filtration plant. He said HMC unit-7 Latifabad and Al-Fajr would be made model roads under pilot project.
President HCCI Adeel Siddiqui drew the attention of newly appointed HMC administrators to poor civic conditions dotting the landscape of the city, especially the commercial centers. This causes pollution in which affects customers and traders equally. He said development works continue to elude Hyderabad for the last several years. He said HCCI wanted to see HMC as a strong civic body of the city. He said HMC should serve as a vibrant civic agency in order to address environmental issues which had become a burden adding that civic bodies in other cities were paying serious attention to lessening environmental pollution through the plantation and other drives.
Siddiqui said that traders had to bear losses to broken sewerage systems as sewage enters the shops and in monsoon season traders fear that they might face the worst civic conditions which needed the attention of HMC right now. He was of the view that traders were willing to pay taxes but municipal wings tend to them which again leaves negative implications on business activities.
Hailing HMC’s anti-encroachment drive, he said complaints of people relating to mutation and transfer of properties be addressed by the administrator. Considering the huge turnout of customers in Hyderabad from other districts, the president proposed the establishment of parking complexes on the pattern of Karachi to fix this issue.
He regretted that the city still doesn’t have a modern fire bridge system and said it should be upgraded to cater to fire emergency needs anywhere. He said traders face tremendous difficulties in the preparation of documents of rental properties in spite of the fact they increase the value of such properties. He emphasized the need for creating space for graveyards in the city.
President expressed concern over the non-functional streetlight system that plunges the city into darkness every evening. He said HCCI was still awaiting handing over land for the chamber on Autobahn road as per the previous government’s commitment of 2001. He hoped the administrator would certainly endeavour to address the business community’s issues.
