Hyderabad: A fresh row over fund allocation has surfaced between GHMC and HYDRAA, exposing yet again the lack of coordination between the two civic agencies during the monsoon season.
The Telangana government had earlier transferred monsoon emergency responsibilities from GHMC to HYDRAA. Following recent heavy rains, operational gaps between the two bodies have led to mounting flood-related problems in Hyderabad. The latest flashpoint involves HYDRAA’s demand for funds to pay monsoon emergency teams deployed across the city.
HYDRAA formed 150 monsoon emergency teams one for each division and assigned the work to selected agencies. To pay these agencies, HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath recently wrote to GHMC requesting funds. Based on this, officials placed a proposal before the GHMC standing committee to allocate ₹20 crore to HYDRAA.
However, the standing committee objected and refused to approve the proposal, triggering intense discussions. Corporators have already expressed anger at HYDRAA’s functioning, and committee members have also opposed any fund release, creating uncertainty over how the civic response will proceed.
HYDRAA seeks ₹1.05 crore grant for staff wages
Alongside monsoon response efforts, HYDRAA is grappling with a separate financial issue regarding outsourced staff salaries. Many of its departments, including DRF and enforcement wings, employ outsourced personnel.
The state government recently capped the maximum salary for outsourced workers at ₹19,500 per month through an official GO. However, HYDRAA had been paying some staff ₹24,000. Following employee protests, HYDRAA agreed to pay ₹19,500 from its own funds and sought permission to secure the remaining ₹5,000 per head as a matching grant from GHMC.
GHMC responded positively, preparing proposals to release ₹1.05 crore in arrears for August, September, and October, at ₹35.11 lakh per month. But this proposal too failed to gain standing committee approval, turning the issue into a heated topic within GHMC.
