Hyderabad: The Telangana state government is shifting focus to urban areas with the elections coming into sight. It has proposed taking up at least one project in every urban local body which would have a visual impact.

The state has six municipal corporations and 75 municipalities, including nagar panchayats. Of the 119 Assembly constituencies, 36 are considered urban and the remaining 83 rural.





Minister K.T. Rama Rao and principal secretary, municipal administration and urban development, Arvind Kumar decided after a meeting that apart from the ongoing projects in the urban local bodies, one project each in every one of these bodies would be taken up this year.

It was decided that these should be projects that have an impact and attract people’s attention. They should also be cost-effective. The minister expected the projects to help the TRS in the Assembly elections. The state government wants to take up projects like laying of not-so-lengthy yet beneficial roads in important areas. This was expected to make an impact as the people would feel the government had solved a long-pending problem.

Construction of sewage treatment plants, improvement of traffic junctions, traffic islands, setting up of solar power towers and LED streetlights were among the projects that the urban local bodies should take up.

Accordingly, the municipal administration department asked municipal commissioners to identify works to be taken up on priority basis.