Hyderabad: Congress leader Mohammed Waliullah Sameer said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had brought the Old City into Hyderabad’s development mainstream by prioritising infrastructure, healthcare, housing and connectivity projects.
Marking 1,000 days of the Congress government, Sameer said the administration had changed the development focus for the Old City. He said the government now treated the historic core as part of Hyderabad’s future growth.
Sameer, Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency in-charge and former Hyderabad DCC president, cited several major projects. These include the Rs 620-crore Chanchalguda-Santoshnagar flyover, Old City Metro works, the new 2,000-bed Osmania General Hospital, Indiramma housing, the proposed Mir Alam Tank bridge and the Musi rejuvenation programme.
“For decades, the Old City remained disconnected from Hyderabad’s larger development story. Revanth Reddy has changed that approach. His vision is to ensure that the original city becomes an equal partner in Hyderabad’s future growth,” Sameer said.
He said the recently inaugurated 3.2-km Chanchalguda-Santoshnagar four-lane steel flyover showed the government’s focus on long-pending infrastructure. The project cost about Rs 620 crore, he said.
Sameer described the Old City Metro as the key connectivity project. Work on the MGBS-Chandrayangutta corridor has advanced through property acquisition, road widening and other preparatory measures. He also said the Chief Minister had promised Metro connectivity to the Old City before the next Assembly elections.
“The Metro will do much more than reduce travel time. It will connect lakhs of people in the Old City with employment centres, colleges, hospitals and business districts across Hyderabad,” he said.
Housing, healthcare and Musi projects
Sameer also highlighted the new 2,000-bed Osmania General Hospital at Goshamahal. The government has proposed conserving the historic OGH building on the Musi as a heritage structure.
Housing forms another part of the government’s plans, according to Sameer. One lakh Indiramma houses have been proposed for the Hyderabad Core Urban Region. High-rise housing is also planned in constituencies such as Chandrayangutta and Goshamahal.
Sameer said city-based housing could help poorer families stay closer to workplaces, schools and healthcare facilities. He said this could reduce the need for families to move to distant locations.
He also cited the proposed three-km cable-stayed bridge across Mir Alam Tank. The surrounding area is also proposed for development as a tourism and recreational destination.
According to Sameer, the Musi rejuvenation programme will have a direct impact on the Old City. Its first phase involves an outlay of more than Rs 7,000 crore and covers sewage management, flood mitigation, environmental restoration and public spaces.
Sameer said welfare schemes had also supported families during the Congress government’s first 1,000 days. He cited more than 335 crore zero-fare journeys by women under the Mahalakshmi scheme and said over 50 lakh families benefit from Gruha Jyothi electricity support up to 200 units.
Nearly 43 lakh families were also covered by the Rs 500 LPG cylinder scheme, he said. The government has issued more than 15 lakh new ration cards, distributed fine rice through the public distribution system and raised Rajiv Aarogyasri health coverage to Rs 10 lakh, according to Sameer.
“These schemes directly affect the family budget. Free bus travel, electricity, subsidised cooking gas, food security and healthcare leave more money in the hands of ordinary families,” Sameer said.
He said education and employment would remain important parts of the Old City development agenda. The Chief Minister had announced additional funds for college development and spoken about employment opportunities for economically weaker Muslim families.
Sameer also cited the government’s commitment to protecting the existing four per cent reservation for socially and educationally backward Muslims.
“The Old City needs more than speeches or isolated projects. A family needs affordable transport, housing and healthcare; a student needs quality education; a young person needs employment; and businesses need better connectivity. Revanth Reddy’s approach is to address these requirements together,” he said.
Sameer claimed political and administrative attention to the Old City had increased compared with the previous BRS government. He said the Chief Minister had repeatedly visited the area to inaugurate projects, lay foundation stones and review development works.
The Congress leader said the first 1,000 days had established a new direction for the Old City. He said the government’s next task was to complete ongoing and proposed works on time.
“The Old City is the original Hyderabad. Revanth Reddy has brought it into Hyderabad’s development mainstream, and the objective now is to ensure that its people get the same quality of transport, healthcare, housing, education and infrastructure available in every other part of the city,” he said.
