The Telangana Cabinet decided to provide legality to HYDRAA and give full freedom and extensive powers to it by relaxing rules.
The Cabinet also decided to provide HYDRAA with adequate staff on deputation from other departments. The Cabinet decided to provide 169 officers and 964 outsourced staffers to HYDRAA.
Ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and N. Uttam Kumar Reddy revealed details of the Cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Friday at the Secretariat.
Revenue Minister Ponguleti said the Cabinet decided to provide extensive powers to HYDRAA and also give it legality. The Cabinet decided to give HYDRAA powers to remove buildings built in the FTL areas and buffer zones of water bodies. The Cabinet gave powers to HYDRAA to check encroachments of tanks, lakes and drains inside the ORR area. It also decided to merge the 27 urban local bodies and 51 village panchayats located inside ORR in the core urban area.
The Cabinet decided to appoint a committee comprising 12 members under R&B Special Chief Secretary to finalise the South part of RRR alignment. The R&B Principal Secretary will be the committee’s convener.
The Cabinet also decided to implement the Police Health Security Scheme and to set up a Logistic Park on 72 acres in Manoharabad. The Cabinet approved the appointment of around 3,000 teaching and non-teaching staff in eight medical colleges. Notifications will be issued regarding this very soon.
The Cabinet approved the setting up of an industrial park on 58 acres in Khammam district and sanctioned 34 staffers for the Eturunagaram Fire Station.
The Cabinet sanctioned an Engineering College in Kosgi and a Junior College in Hakimpet.
The cabinet approved naming the Handloom Technology Institute after Konda Laxman Bapuji, the Women’s University after Chakali Ailamma and the Telugu University after Suravaram Prathap Reddy.
Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Cabinet approved work on the SLBC tunnel with a revised estimation of Rs 4,637 crore. He said the government will complete the SLBC tunnel within two years, that is, by September 2026.
The SLBC tunnel will become a historical one after completion. The government is aiming to construct 400 meters of the tunnel every month, he said.
Uttam said the government will complete pending works on the Dindi Balancing Reservoir soon.
The government will appoint special officer for it. He said the Cabinet approved giving Rs 500 as bonus for fine variety paddy from this Kharif season and from January, 2025, the government will give fine rice to all white ration card holders. The Cabinet gave nod to give new white ration cards from October.
R&B Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said that former Chief Minister KCR sarcastically spoke about SLBC and had neglected it. Water will be available for two crops once the SLBC project is completed.
KCR did not complete the SLBC project thinking that Komatireddy Venkat and the Congress would get the credit for that, he said.
He said the fluoride problem will be solved completely in Nalgonda once the SLBC tunnel is completed.
