The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has introduced a cutting-edge streetlight management app to streamline the maintenance and monitoring of streetlights across Hyderabad. This initiative aims to ensure well-lit public spaces and improve urban services.
Reports suggest that instead of reporting violations to section officers, the engineers allegedly demanded bribes from property owners to conceal irregularities. Taking swift action, GHMC Commissioner Ilambarithi ordered their immediate dismissal on Sunday, March 23. Officials have been directed to seize all documents, electronic gadgets, and SIM cards provided to the dismissed engineers and ensure compliance.
To ensure efficiency, the number of available slots will depend on staff availability. Additionally, the GHMC has incorporated measures to prevent redundant requests—once a specific area has been fogged, repeat requests for fogging will be restricted for a period of one week.
Previously, fines were issued manually through challan books by field-level officers, leading to arbitrary penalties and discrepancies. A portion of the collected fines often did not reach the GHMC treasury, and there was no mechanism to track how many challans were actually paid.
Given that the city has over 4.5 lakh lamp posts and electricity poles, residents are concerned that there could be a speed breaker for every two poles in the future. This may turn into a traffic hazard, benefiting automobile spare parts manufacturers due to increased wear and tear on vehicles. A businessman with an establishment in Hitec City, who commutes daily from ECIL, crosses nearly 62 speed breakers and 18 traffic signals.
The Supreme Court’s verdict came in response to a petition filed by Rao B. Chelikani, challenging the government’s land allocations to various housing societies, including those for public representatives, officials, and journalists within the GHMC area. The court found the allocations to be improper and ordered their cancellation
