TRS manifesto must be thrown into dustbin: Uttam

Highlights of the manifesto included 30,000 litres of free water, regulation of fee in private schools and bringing COVID-19 treatment under Aarogyasri.

AICC Spokesperson Dr Dasoju Sravan explained the contents of the manifesto at length covering topics such as environmental issues, medical infrastructure, education, transport, housing for the poor, and so on.

The manifesto promised better infrastructure and equipment at Government Area Hospitals and quarterly audits by RWAs. Along with the improvement of Gandhi, Osmania, Niloufer and other hospitals, the manifesto also mentioned an increase in basthi dawakhanas to 450 and extend their operating hours to 9 pm in low-income households. These to be assisted by four dedicated multi-specialty hospitals which will take cases to them from these dawakhanas. All health centres to do free lab tests and dispense free medicines.

Under the topic of environmental issues, Congress manifesto said that the party will implement NDMA guidelines, prepare a Disaster Management Plan for Hyderabad, and conduct regular mock drills. It also promised an advanced rainfall forecasts system.

The manifesto promised to put an end to the grabbing of land around lakes. The party said it will constitute a 'Lakes Protection Authority' along with RWAs and save them from encroachments. The manifesto also promised to plan and implement a comprehensive drainage system to prevent flooding across the limits of HMDA, and taking future urbanisation into account it promised to put in place an effective solid waste management strategy.

It also promised free water supply up to 30,000 liters and drinking water connection for free of cost. Pure drinking to be set up free of cost by setting up RO water vending machines in the slums and double bedroom housing complexes.

Regarding transport, the manifesto promised free local transportation for women, students, divyangans and senior citizens in Metro, MMTS and RTC buses. The party wants to increase the bus fleet from 2,500 to 6,000 by procuring CNG and electric Buses equipped with hydraulic lifts for the differently-abled.

The Congress also promised to monitor and regulate the costly fees to get into corporate and private schools and colleges, in collaboration with Hyderabad Schools' Parents Association (HSPA).

In housing for the poor, the party promised to give every eligible beneficiary a double-bedroom house, Rs 8 lakhs for families who have a plot to construct a house, and if they have a single-bedroom house then a payment of Rs 4 lakhs to construct an additional room. All the beneficiaries will be paid Rs 60,000 to compensate for rent starting from 2020 till the date of completion of construction.

The party also promised free insurance against floods, fire accidents and damage due to power fluctuations.

Ahead of the manifesto's release TPCC President Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the TRS manifesto, recently released by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, should be thrown in a dustbin as the ruling party has only repeated the promises it had made in 2014.

He said KCR has gained expertise in cheating people with false promises as he had cheated them on the promises of making a Dalit CM and giving three acres of land each for all poor Dalit families. He said that these promises remained unimplemented even after six years.

Uttam Kumar reiterated that the TRS government did nothing for the development of Hyderabad in the last six years. He said the ruling party was trying to take credit for the achievements of Congress which include Hyderabad Metro Rail, the international airport at Shamshabad, Outer Ring Road, PVNR Expressway, flyovers and other projects. He said that it was during the Congress regimes that Godavari and Krishna Rivers were brought to Hyderabad for drinking purposes.

The TPCC chief said that it was due to the inefficiency of TRS government and step-motherly attitude of the BJP government at the Centre that Hyderabad lost Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) which was sanctioned by the previous Congress-led UPA regime. He said that the ITIR project would've attracted investments up to Rs. 2 lakh crore besides providing direct and indirect employment to nearly 50 lakh people.

Uttam Kumar also asked Minister K. Taraka Rama Rao to give the status of the 100-days Action Plan which he had announced in February 2016 after winning the GHMC elections. He said none of the targets set in that plan were met even after 1,000 days.

The TPCC chief asked the chief minister to clarify as to why poor people were not given free treatment for COVID-19 by including it in the Aarogyasri scheme. He said over 2.50 lakh families were forced to spend huge amounts for the treatment of Coronavirus in private hospitals. He alleged that the KCR Government helped many private hospitals rob COVID-19 patients and their families by not regulating the costs. He said no action was taken against any hospital despite nearly 1,100 complaints about excess and wrong billing.

Commenting on the promises made by KCR about giving free drinking water up to 20,000 litres and free power to laundries and salons, Uttam Kumar asked as to why these schemes were not already in implementation.

Uttam Kumar the KCR-led government did not provide any relief to the flood victims even after so many lost their lives. He said that the Chief Minister did not even visit any affected area. He said people who lost their homes and other articles due to the floods were not paid adequate compensation.

Uttam Kumar said that the TRS, the BJP and the MIM were having a secret alliance to defeat the Congress. He said that the MIM calls itself a national party, but it had no guts to contest on all 150 wards in the GHMC elections. "More than winning the seats for itself, MIM focuses on ensuring the victory of BJP and TRS. For the same reason, it is contesting in just 51 seats in Hyderabad and avoiding competition with the TRS or the BJP in remaining 99 seats," he said.