The removal of encroachment and widening of stormwater drain project undertaken by the GHMC has turned out to be an utter failure, with the civic body having done little or nothing about it. While officials are sitting pretty on the removal of encroachment around four major stormwater drains, they are yet to conduct a survey of 85 surrounding ones. There are over 500 structures on Murki nala alone; 85 on Kukatpally nala, 200 on Nagamaiah Kunta, 60 on Punjagutta nala, 75 on Yellareddyguda nala and 150 encroachments on Yousufguda nala, say GHMC statistics.
There are four major stormwater drains with a length of 385 km with about 85 surrounding nalas. Out of the 385 km stretch, GHMC has taken up only 50 km for the widening process and could finish work on only about 12 km. Of the 50 km stretch, encroachments were removed from 15 nalas. There are 1,480 encroached structures, of which they could demolish only 148. “Public resistance over widening projects is a major problem,” said an official as an excuse. Under JNNURM project, GHMC was sanctioned Rs 142.37 crore only for modernisation of the four nalas and Rs 124.10 crore for the surrounding nalas. Till date, GHMC has spent Rs 56 crore on major nalas and Rs 7.02 crore on the sorrounding nalas.