Revanth Reddy seeks land for two elevated corridors in Secunderabad; says TSPSC board to be cast soon

NEW DELHI: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy continued his push for grant of funds by the Centre for the second straight day on his tour to New Delhi.

On Friday, he first held a crucial meeting with UPSC Chairman Manoj Soni, where he outlined plans to revamp the troubled Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC). Praising the UPSC's transparency and efficiency, Revanth revealed his intention to model TSPSC after the national body. The Chief Minister along with Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy spent over an hour with Soni, discussing best practices and the need for a corruption-free recruitment process in Telangana.

Revanth emphasised his commitment to ending political interference in TSPSC appointments. He highlighted the previous Government's alleged politicisation, leading to leaked papers and a chaotic recruitment system. Aiming for a two lakh job recruitment drive by December 2024, he vowed to appoint a TSPSC chairman and members solely on merit, with complete transparency. The UPSC chairman lauded Revanth's focus on recruitment reform and offered training support for TSPSC officials.

Request for transfer of Defence lands

Revanth Reddy then met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in the afternoon, seeking crucial transfer of Defence land for Hyderabad's infrastructure development. He requested 0.21 hectares for construction of a skywalk at Rythu Bazar in Mehdipatnam to avoid traffic congestion and 83 acres for a six-lane elevated corridor from Paradise Junction to Outer Ring Road Junction on Rajiv Rahadari and construction of 11.30 km corridor with entry and exit ramps.

The Chief Minister also requested the Minister to transfer 56 acres of land to construct 18.30 kms of elevated corridor from Paradise Junction near Kandlakoya to ORR on Nagpur Highway (NH-44), of which 12.68 kms would be constructed as a six-lane elevated corridor with exit and entries in four areas, and also Double Decker (for Metro rail) corridor. The Defence Minister responded positively to the pleas.

Financial support

Later, Revanth met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to address pending fund allocations from the Centre. He urged her to release Rs 1,800 crore under the Backward Areas Development Programme, owed since 2019-20. Additionally, he sought the release of Rs 2,233.54 crore due from the 15th Finance Commission and requested separate funds for Hyderabad's development.