Latest news with #GreaterHyderabadMunicipalCorporation
New Indian Express
9 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Private firms to maintain cleanliness at tourist spots
HYDERABAD: With growing concerns over poor sanitation at tourist destinations, such as the lack of public toilets, improper waste disposal, and general uncleanliness, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has initiated efforts to improve hygiene at key locations across the city. To address these issues, GHMC has invited Requests for Proposal (RFP) from private agencies for the upkeep and sanitation of tourist spots in eight circles — five in Khairatabad zone, two in Charminar and one in Secunderabad — on an outsourcing basis. Global studies have shown that maintaining hygiene around tourist destinations is vital for sustaining tourism. Poor sanitation not only deters tourists but also affects the local community. GHMC aims to establish strong infrastructure and monitoring systems to ensure consistent cleanliness standards.
New Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
GHMC to build twin three-lane flyovers at Kukatpally ‘Y' junction
HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will soon take up the survey, investigation and construction of two three-lane flyovers at Kukatpally 'Y' junction — one on the left-hand side (towards Ameerpet) and the other on the right-hand side (towards Miyapur) along NH-65. The Rs 180 crore project will be executed under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model and is part of the Hyderabad City Innovative and Transformative Infrastructure (H-CITI) initiative, aimed at easing traffic congestion and improving urban connectivity. The state government granted administrative sanction in December 2024 and permitted the GHMC to invite tenders. Bids have been called for the Kukatpally 'Y' and IDL lake junctions flyovers. The scope includes standard and obligatory viaduct spans with sacrificial shuttering, reinforced soil (RE) and RCC toe walls, crash barriers, friction and approach slabs, anti-carbonation coating on exposed concrete, safety view barriers, overhead gantries, landscaping below the viaduct, electrification, signages, road studs, drainage connections and utility shifting.
Hans India
14 hours ago
- Climate
- Hans India
Streetlights conked off? Baldia babus told to fix blinking woes
Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is set to expedite the works of street lighting across the city. Following numerous complaints from corporators and residents about the dysfunctional streetlights, the GHMC commissioner RV Karnan ordered the officials to promptly solve the issue to prevent accidents and other untoward situations, especially in the rainy season. On Thursday, the Commissioner held a conference with Additional and Zonal Commissioners and HODs on dysfunctional streetlights, desilting, sanitation, mosquito control, and tax collection. Following numerous complaints from both corporators and the public, he directed the Zonal Commissioners to conduct evening field visits to identify the underlying causes of these problems and address them effectively. To ensure that issues do not arise, RV Karnan instructed the officers to arrange personnel and resources effectively. Special measures must be implemented to avert potential problems. It is essential for Zonal and Deputy Commissioners, along with Electrical Engineers, to visit the areas where complaints are reported and address these issues promptly. Furthermore, the commissioner emphasized the importance of maintaining sanitation during the rainy season to curb the spread of seasonal illnesses. It is crucial to continue fogging efforts to combat dengue and malaria. Intensive IEC programmes should be implemented through ALOs, along with awareness initiatives targeting students in schools and colleges. Due to the insufficient progress in desilting, the Zonal Commissioners were instructed to take action to ensure advancement by coordinating with Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA).
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
GHMC to hand over sanitation at tourist sites to private agencies
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is repeating its experiment of handing over the sanitation in places of tourist importance to private agencies. On Wednesday, request for proposal has been notified for consultants, for 'Achieving Sanitation Standards and Upkeep of Tourist Places in GHMC through Specialized Agencies on Outsourcing' in five circles of the Khairatabad Zone. The circles are Mehdipatnam, Karwan, Goshamahal, Khairatabad and Jubilee Hills, for which the total estimated contract value is placed at over ₹23.32 crore. The RFP document states that the commercial establishments in and around the tourist destination dump litter and solid waste on the roads even after the sanitation workers have swept and cleared the same. The litter spreads around due to wind and becomes an eyesore to the local, national and international tourists, affecting the reputation of the tourist destination, apart from creating insanitary conditions. Further, the pedestrians, hawkers, shopkeepers and commuters too litter the roads which is not removed till the next day. Posters, and banners worsen the situation, which mandates 24x7 surveillance with dedicated staff in three shifts, the document says. Responsibilities of the agency include, among others, deploying enough manpower - including sweeping staff, litter pickers, and supervisory officials, deployment of vehicles, machinery, tools and consumables, providing PPE for the staff, ensuring cleanliness of the assigned stretches, transportation of the waste to the secondary collection and storage points, ensuring that all the residential and commercial buildings are attached to the Swachh Auto Trolley drivers or authorised waste collectors, conducting awareness activities in the surrounding areas about proper solid waste management procedures, preventing defacing of the public properties, placing 100 litre capacity twin litter bins at locations specified by the corporation, upkeep and maintenance of existing public toilets on charge per use basis, and even to construct new public toilets as per the need or based on the gap assessment done by the GHMC, for which the cost will be borne by the GHMC. The agency should also provide purified drinking water kiosks at the locations specified by GHMC, for which no payment will be made. However, user charges may be collected from the consumers for collecting water from the kiosks, which will be fixed by the GHMC.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Owners of vacant plots in the city to be served demand notices for vacant land tax
Registration of vacant plots within the Greater Hyderabad is going to be more expensive than its market price. The cash-strapped Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is gearing up with the demand notices to be served to the vacant plot owners in the city, in the name of the Vacant Land Tax (VLT). Ignored so far despite having a sanction through the GHMC Act, 1955, the VLT has a high potential to generate revenue for the corporation, if levied on all the vacant plots. The GHMC is, however, looking at only new registrations as of now. According to the Act, any vacant land is taxable at 0.5% of its registered market value annually as fixed and revised by the government from time to time. The tax is levied by the urban civic authorities with the aim of discouraging speculative value attached to the land, and to encourage development of the same. However, the VLT has thus far been not enforced strictly by the civic authorities. The amendments to the GHMC Act in 2020, which made the sub-registrar responsible to generate Property Tax Identification Number at the time of registration or transfer of property, also made the official responsible for generating the Vacant Land Tax Number at the time of registration or transfer of vacant land property. After initial hiccups, the amendments were finally put to implementation from 2022, leading to generation of PTINs and VLTNs from the registration offices. While the initial tax was deducted and transferred by the Registrations department, the subsequent tax was to be paid by the assessees, which is not being paid. Since 2022, more than 50,000 vacant registrations have been effected within the city, from which an annual vacant land tax of close to ₹120 crore accrues to the GHMC. The arrears accumulating since 2022 on these lands stands at ₹220 crore, taking the total revenue aimed to ₹340 crore. An official under the condition of anonymity shared that SMS blasts are being sent to all the vacant land owners asking them to pay the tax. In the financial year 2024-25, the collections stood at close to ₹7 crore from 2029 assessees, while in the current year, so far, ₹1 crore has been collected from 381 assessees.
