Efforts on to make Anantapur a green city, says Mayor

Anantapur: A number of developmental initiatives are in the pipeline including transforming the city into a clean and green city, Mayor Madamanchi Swaroopa has said. Talking to The Hans India here on Thursday, Swaroopa said that Rs 5 crore worth developmental works including laying of roads and expansion of existing ones and repairs of canals were under progress.
Funds under non-plan works to the tune of Rs 3.5 crore and another Rs 3 crore from the 13 Finance Commission funds were spent to speed up development. An 80-feet road from the NTR Marg to Gooty road and road dividers construction for hassle-free traffic in the city were also under progress as part of measures for regulating traffic in the city whose vehicular traffic had been increasing for some time, she added.
The most prestigious project of the Anantapur Municipal Corporation is the replacing of all old and defunct drinking water pipelines with brand new ones at a cost of Rs 190 crore. This will put an end to the problem of pipeline leakages and pollution of drinking water due to seepage of dirty water into the water pipelines, she added. Overhead tanks are also being constructed for storage of water and for ensuring quality water supply. Under the Amruth scheme, 36 slums had been indentified for undertaking slum improvement programmes in the slums, she added. An underground drainage scheme costing Rs 440 crore to be taken up with Central assistance soon would also change the face of the city, she opined. A detailed project report had been submitted to the Centre. The Mayor expressed optimism that more funds would flow to the city from the Centre with the efforts of local MLA and the district MPs. Swaroopa said that she as the first woman Mayor of the city would utilise the opportunity to make a mark for posterity by utiising the god-given opportunity for the good of the citizens of the city.