HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday said the GO 111 would be lifted soon after receiving the expert committee report on this issue. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister stated that GO 111 had become meaningless and redundant as Hyderabad no longer depended on Osmansagar and Himayatsagar lakes to meet its drinking water needs.
Chevella TRS MLA Kale Yadaiah brought to the notice of the Chief Minister in the House that GO 111 had become an obstacle in the development of his constituency as it banned construction activities around these lakes.
The Chief Minister said the GO 111 was issued in 1996 when Hyderabad was totally dependent on these lakes to meet drinking water needs by preventing undue industrialisation and heavy construction activities in the catchment areas of these twin lakes covering 83 villages and seven mandals and to check pollution of these lakes.
However, now, the state government had overcome the drinking water shortage under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, and had created adequate alternate water resources for the city by bringing the Krishna and the Godavari waters, the Chief Minister said.
He added that water supply was abundant to Hyderabad now with water being taken without difficulty through projects including the Sunkishala Intake Project and Mallanna Sagar due to which Hyderabad would not face water problems for another 100 years. Therefore, the time had come to revoke GO 111, Rao remarked.
However, the Chief Minister cautioned that there could be anarchy if the GO 111, which affected 83 villages and seven mandals covering 1.32 lakh acres, was lifted at once. He asked municipal administration minister K.T. Rama Rao and officials concerned to address the issue in a phased manner after preparing master plans and green zones. An expert committee too was looking into the matter, the Chief Minister said.
“The expert committee report is awaited and is expected soon. As and when we receive that report, GO 111 will be lifted,” he said.
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