Hyderabad: The Century-old storm water drainage system amazes the principal secretary of municipal administration, Mr Arvind Kumar. He was astonished that the drainage system built in the Nizam area, was still functioning efficiently in the Old City area.
Despite a rapid increase in population in the city, the system inspected on Wednesday, serves the city efficiently. It has also survived the severe force of water during heavy rains.
In 1908, after the floods in the Musi river it was felt that a separate storm water drain system was needed and under the guidance of legendary engineer Mokshagundam Visveswaraya a flood protection system for Hyderabad was designed and a separate storm water drain system constructed.
The drinking water supply system for the city was also designed at that time, explained the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officials to MR Kumar.
He instructed the officials to keep the surroundings of Charminar clean and to lighten the monument with additional floodlights. He asked officials to remove settlers from underneath the arches of Nayapul and improve sanitation there within a week. He also directed them to put up fencing and improve lighting.
The senior official visited Shah Ali Banda, Abdullah building, City College, Himmatpura, Mahboob Chowk, and Nayapul areas and inspected the stormwater drainage system. Zonal Commissioner, south, Mr B. Srinivas Reddy, Chief engineer, Mr Mohd Ziauddin, and other GHMC officials were also present.
Later, Mr Kumar met GHMC officials and expressed his disappointment over banners being hung on roads and posters on public buildings and asked for strict implementation of the Public Properties Defacement Act.
The official directed zonal commissioners and medical officers to start a special drive to remove all these banners while pointing out that electric poles, flyovers, bus shelters, government buildings and even monumental buildings were not free of publicity material and directed to take strict action against responsible institutions and persons and impose fines on them.