10 years of Telangana: KCR-mark transformation all around, subtle yet vivid

HYDERABAD: A look back at some of the developments in Telangana during the past nine years encapsulates the tremendous progress it has made following its formation as the youngest state in India. The government of Telangana touched all the aspects of development right from education, urban infrastructure, health, innovation, drinking water, irrigation, and culture and made its mark.

Some of the changes undertaken by the Telangana government were so simple and people-centric that one would wonder why the erstwhile rulers never thought of them when they were in rule for decades.

Area hospital Siddipet

The development of the Area Hospital in Siddipet began after the formation of the state. It transformed into a district-level hospital with the establishment of a medical college to provide quality medical aid and education. The 300-bed hospital has a ventilator facility, a blood bank, a centralized oxygen supply system and a dialysis center too.

Handlooms of Sircilla

Sircilla, the abode of ‘Siri’, has slowly turned into a deathbed of weavers. The handloom sector of Sricilla gained fame by weaving a saree that could fit into a matchbox but has disintegrated due to decades of neglect by the earlier governments. The formation of Telangana brought about a qualitative change in the lives of the weavers of the town.

The Telangana government took a stand in supporting the weavers and entrusted them with the mammoth task of weaving the Bathukamma sarees at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore. These were to be distributed among poor women during the Bathukamma festival. Not just Bathukamma sarees, the Sircilla weavers now weave cloth for school uniforms, KCR kits, and cloth material required by various government departments.

Chintamadaka, the native of KCR

Chintamadaka village, the native place of Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrashekhar Rao, has seen little development before 2014. After the formation of Telangana, the CM convened a meeting of the villagers and assured them of all the development. A total of 556 houses were sanctioned. Besides these houses, wide CC roads were constructed with a modern drainage system.

Karimnagar Collectorate road

The congested road leading to the collectorate of Karimnagar district has been a major bottleneck for the locals as well as hundreds of visitors that arrive here for personal and official work at the collectorate. There were no lights and vehicles were parked everywhere in the absence of designated parking.

Now the face of the collector’s office has been completely transformed. Now, the 1.5-km-long road has been widened to 60-feet and the entire stretch has been illuminated with LED lights. The road was laid at a cost of Rs 6 crore.

Government schools

After the formation of Telangana, the face of government schools has transformed. Now they resemble corporate schools. Under the ‘Mana Ooru Mana Badi’ programme, for the development of infrastructure in schools across the states, 26,000 government schools will be refurbished at a cost of Rs 7,289.54 crore. In the first phase, 9,123 schools will be developed at a cost of Rs 3,497.62 crore.

Rytu Bazar in Siddipet

The Rytu bazaar in Siddipet was neglected for years. Farmers who used to bring their produce here used to sit on the side of the road without a roof over their heads. With the intervention of the Telangana government, a permanent structure for the Siddipet Rytu Bazar was created. The government has spent Rs 8.16 crore for the construction of a cellar and a ground plus one construction. The rythu bazar has 332 stalls with seven LED boards to display the prices of vegetables and 32 CCTV cameras were installed in the disabled-friendly complex.

Moazamjahi market

The iconic Moazamjahi Market in Hyderabad, named after the second son of Mir Osman Ali Khan has been neglected for decades. Even the clock tower stopped functioning. Now, after a thorough renovation, the same market looks gorgeous. The state government has spent Rs 15 crore to restore its past glory. A 100-feet flag pole added to its majestic beauty.

LB Nagar junction

Gone were the days when chaos reined the busy eastern entrance to Hyderabad, the LB Nagar Junction. The traffic now flows free at the junction with the construction of flyovers and underpasses under the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) of the GHMC. This project was undertaken at a cost of Rs 658 crore.

KPHB hitech city route

Anyone who has traveled the KPHB-Hitech city route in the past will remember how painful it was to reach the IT hub. The railway gate further added to the problem of the techies. It used to take 40 minutes to complete the less than 7-km drive. Thanks to the ROB (Road Over Bridge) built at a cost of Rs 59.19 crore under the Strategic Road Development Plan – SRDP, the travel time was cut short to 15 minutes. Six flyovers were built in the Kukatpally-Hitec city corridor easing the traffic problem.

Lambadi Tanda, Baghlingampally

For decades the Lambadi Thanda at Baghlingampally in the centre of Hyderabad city has been neglected by the rulers. There was no provision for clean drinking water, drainage and basic amenities. Sheltered under the makeshift roofs, the residents suffered silently. Now, it is the home of towering blocks of 126, 2BHK flats. State government cleared the slum and completed the construction of brand-new, flats at a cost of Rs 11 crore.

National Highway 375

The National Highway 375, connecting the Bhoraj village of Jainath mandal of Adilabad district with the Shankarguda in Bhela mandal of Maharashtra was ridden with potholes. It was a nightmare to travel on this treacherous road. The Telangana government recarpeted the 32 km road covering 15 villages at a cost of Rs 47 crore. Thanks to the Telangana government, interstate goods transportation and travel have become pleasant and fast. Motorists are also enjoying pothole-free travel.

Warangal Railway Crossing

The railway gate at Warangal was the major barrier to entering the city. The railway level crossing has tested the nerves of the commuters for a very long time. The long pending demand of the citizens and the commuters was fulfilled only after the formation of the state by the Telangana state government. The magnificent Road Over Bridge (ROB) at the level crossing has eased the travel time and the long wait at the railway gate on the busy railway line.

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Hanmakonda

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Hanmakonda used to be in a sorry state, as no one cared about encouraging youth to play sports. The stadium was bereft of any amenities, the track was dusty and there was no greenery. Now the Stadium is abuzz with activity. The stadium now sports a state-of-the-art running track, amenities, and galleries for the viewers. This is a shining example of the importance the Telangana government gives to the physical education of its young people.

Medigadda barrage

It was in 2017 that the concrete works of the Medigadda Barrage across river Godavari began at Mahadevpur mandal of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district. The 16.17 TMC barrage was a part of the world’s largest multi-stage Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project-KLIP. In just two years the barrage was built. This was made possible with the strong leadership from the state government, the partners in development and engineers.

Mission Bhagiratha

Women of Telangana have undergone severe problems due to a lack of safe drinking water. They used to trek long distances to fetch drinking water. Many times the water they find in deep wells is laden with fluoride that has a debilitating effect on the limbs and growth of the locals.

Mission Bhagiratha the flagship programme of the Telangana government has changed all that. Mission Bhagiratha supplies safe drinking water for every household. A mammoth 1.30 lakh km stretch of pipelines has been laid to quench the thirst of Telangana towns and villages apart from providing water for industrial needs.

Nagoba temple in Adilabad

The Nagoba temple in Keslapur village of Indrawelli mandal of Adilabad district is the most revered place of worship for the Gonds and Pandhar tribes. Previous governments haven’t improved the amenities despite a huge footfall of devotees. Telangana government renovated the temple and improved amenities.

A special quality red stone was used for the renovation. In a noble gesture, the Mesaram clan also shared the construction cost with the state government. The carved pillars, elaborate gopuram, and Apuroopa sculptures make the temple a monument of the glory of the Adivasis.

T Hub

The Telangana government has transformed the start-up scenario after the formation of the State. Hyderabad is now the home of the world-class Innovative center the T Hub-2.0. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. Immediately after the formation of the state the government has set up T Hub 1.0 at the IIIT Hyderabad located in Gachibowli. The T Hub-2.0 Knowledge Centre was built for Rs 400 crore and is spread over 3.70 lakh square feet. Over 2,000 start-ups can world simultaneously under its roof. The facility comes with the possibility of scaling up to accommodate more.

Yadadri temple

The lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Yadadri is the largest in Telangana. Despite lakhs of devotees worshipping the lord, the previous government did not attempt to improve the basic amenities. Telangana government has spent Rs 1,200 crore to reconstruct the temple by providing excellent facilities. The temple built as per Agama Shastras is a visual treat for any onlooker.

Skywalks

Gone were the days of pedestrians crossing roads risking their lives in Hyderabad city. Skywalks are being built in areas that are known for heavy vehicular traffic and congestion. In Mehadipatnam a 380 meters skywalk is constructed for Rs 84 crore. This one connects the Mehadipatnam bus depot to the defense boundary and two intermediate tunnel walk length to the rythu bazaar and Asifnagar police station and Mallepally road. Similarly, the kilometer-long skywalk connecting Rayadurgam Metro station and Raheja Mindspace IT corridor has become a landmark, The skywalk at Uppal crossroads is another marvel.

The Command Control Centre

While most of the police department has been operating in the old buildings for decades, the Telangana government has embarked on modernizing the force. One such move is the country’s first most modern Command Control Centre in Hyderabad. The four-tower twenty-floor complex of the Telangana police has amalgamated the entire security of Hyderabad city, the capital of Telangana by linking several units under one roof.

Hyderabad’s third eye has a built-up area of 5.5 lakh square feet. The double glass curtain wall technology in the towers boosts energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and acoustics. The 83.5-meter-tall building features a 480-seat auditorium, a media center, training facilities, and conference halls.

Power

The Telangana region which has faced severe power outages leading to power holidays, hurting the agriculture and industrial sector alike, is now power surplus. There are no power cuts now leading to steady economic development. Telangana government has undertaken the construction of new Thermal stations to augment the power supply. The Yadadri Ultra Mega Power Plant is considered the biggest thermal station in the public sector, The 4,000 Mega Watt power station is coming up at Damarcherla Mandal of Nalgonda on over 6,000 acres.

Forest Cover

Forests are neglected in Telangana for decades leading to severe drought conditions. However, forest cover in Telangana increased by 6.85 percent during 2015-2021. The forest cover in Telangana was 19,854 square kilometers in 2015, which subsequently increased to 20,582 sq km in 2019 and 21,214 sq km in 2021, registering a remarkable increase of 6.85 percent in forest cover from 2015 to 2021. Hyderabad registered the highest decadal growth rate of forest cover at 146.8 percent between 2011-21 among the seven major cities of Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

Godavari Waters

Parched lands and dried lakes had been a common sight in Telangana before the state was formed. The farming community faced the biggest distress as the governments earlier showed no interest in using the Godavari water for the benefit of the region. With the government of Telangana drawing plans for full utilization of Godavari water, mega irrigation projects become a reality.

The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project the biggest multi-stage lift in the world has transformed the agricultural landscape of the state. Combined with the Mission Kakaktiya to revive the water bodies Telangana groundwater swelled. Now there is abundant water available to irrigate every inch of the state.

Library in Sircilla

Before 2014, libraries in the state were the most neglected. The so-called Sircilla library was in a dilapidated building with very few books and newspapers. None of the young people used to visit the library to prepare for competitive exams. The newly constructed building for Rs3.60 crore is now cited as a model modern library. The two-storeyed building is a replica of the Asiatic Library in Mumbai. The centrally airconditioned building has a conference hall, digital library, and hundreds of books.

ZPHS in Sircilla

The Zilla Parishad high school in Sircilla was so poorly maintained that the students were afraid of attending the school. With the formation of the state, the fate of the ZPHS has changed. The school was rebuilt for Rs 3 from CSR funds to international standards. The school boasts a digital library, a science library, an advanced computer laboratory, and a mini stadium built for Rs 30 lakh.

Mulavagu bridge, Sircilla

Traveling across Mulavagu bridge near Shabhashpalli village of Sircilla district was dangerous. During monsoon rains, water overflows the weak bridge. In the absence of retaining walls, people used to get washed away. When the bridge was submerged people had to take a lengthy detour to reach Vemulawada town. With the local minister taking special interest a four-lane bridge was constructed for Rs 142 crore. The four-kilometer-long bridge has now solved the problem of the villagers forever.

Vishnu Pushakarini in Yadadri

The Vishnu Pushkarini, the holy tank in Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple of Yadadri was devoid of any amenities. Only a few hundred could take a bath in the tank to fulfill their holy obligation. Now the Pushkarini has been developed beyond the imagination of anyone. Now at least 1,500 devotees can take a dip simultaneously in the holy tank that is now reconstructed and extended to 43 meters in length and 16.50 meters in width.

Banslilalpet Step Well

The culture of Telangana has been neglected in past decades. Not anymore. Many hereditary structures such as the magnificent Banslilalpet step well are one such example. The dilapidated, neglected well has become a hub of antisocial activities. Now after the HMDA refurbished and renovated the well for Rs 10 crore, it is abuzz with visitors. The whole area is now illuminated with lights. Around 4,000 tons of trash has been removed giving the stepwell a fresh lease of life.