Telangana scraps GO aimed to protect Hyderabad's twin reservoirs
Hyderabad, May 18: In a major move, the Telangana cabinet on Thursday decided to scrap a Government Order (GO) issued in 1996 to protect two reservoirs on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
The government claimed that the decision will benefit people of 84 villages as the GO was hampering their development.
The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. This was the first Cabinet meeting at the new Secretariat complex inaugurated on April 30.
The GO 111 was issued on March 8, 1996 to protect the catchment areas of Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar by imposing restrictions on construction activity.
The two reservoirs were built across Musi River by the Nizam of Hyderabad after the devastating Musi floods of September 1908 which had killed thousands of people. The two reservoirs were the main source of drinking water for the twin cities.
The government argued the GO became redundant as the two reservoirs were no longer the sources of drinking water as Hyderabad is getting piped supply of water from Krishna and Godavari rivers.
The government's proposal mooted last year was strongly opposed by environmentalists and citizens who cautioned it against the catastrophic move to lift the restrictions on construction activity in the catchment areas of the two reservoirs.
Finance Minister Harish Rao told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that the Kaleshwaram reservoir will be linked to Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar.
The Cabinet also decided to bring Godavari water to Hussain Sagar lake in the heart of the city.
It decided to formulate a scheme to provide financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh each to artisans. A Cabinet sub-committee headed by the Backward Classes Welfare Minister will be constituted to work out modalities for the scheme, which will be launched during state formation day celebrations, beginning on June 2.
The government decided to organise state-wide formation day celebrations for 21 days.
The Cabinet decided to create 38 posts of District Medical and Health Officers (DMHOs). It also gave its nod for setting up primary health centres in 40 newly created mandals.