Hyderabad: Following concerns over the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) tender allocation process, the state govt has transferred monsoon emergency operations — urban flooding and disaster management — to the Hyderabad Disaster Response Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA).HYDRAA will now oversee all monsoon-related tasks, including the clearing of catchpits during rainfall, dewatering, management of traffic diversions, safety inspections of nalas to prevent accidents, and post-rainfall desilting work. In addition, HYDRAA will be responsible for removing obstructions caused by fallen trees or poles and coordinating with HMWSSB, TGSPDCL, and other agencies for monsoon-related response and relief efforts.While the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) department cited duplication in monsoon-related operations as the main reason for the transfer, sources claimed that malpractices by GHMC in awarding monsoon contracts to favoured contractors were a key factor. The govt even revoked contracts worth 50 crore that had been sanctioned by the civic body.Duplication concerns“The GHMC will remain responsible for pre-monsoon tasks such as desilting nalas and stormwater drains, while HYDRAA will manage post-monsoon operations. As HYDRAA already handles disaster management duties, the decision was made to assign all monsoon emergency operations to them, thereby avoiding duplication of efforts between the two bodies,” said a senior MAUD official.In this regard, HYDRAA has decided to deploy 130 monsoon emergency teams, each comprising 12 members. Additionally, 51 Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams from HYDRAA, each consisting of 15 personnel, will collaborate with these emergency teams. These teams will be deployed in areas prone to water stagnation.
