In a kind gesture to thank the frontline workers of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) who are tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, Telangana’s Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, K T Rama Rao on Wednesday served lunch to the workers and dined with them.
Thanking the workers, KTR, as the minister is popularly known, appreciated their efforts and stated that they are working on par with the doctors and police officers in combating coronavirus in the state.
The minister interacted with every worker and enquired about their health. He asked the workers to be safe and ensure all precautions are taken while discharging their duties.
కరోనా వైరస్ వ్యాప్తిని నిరోధించడంలో ముందుండి పోరాడుతున్న @GHMCOnline క్షేత్రస్థాయి సిబ్బందితో కలిసి సహపంక్తి భోజనం చేసిన మునిసిపల్ శాఖ మంత్రి @KTRTRS pic.twitter.com/2fFCgeKP7e
— Minister for IT, Industries, MA & UD, Telangana (@MinisterKTR) April 22, 2020
The minister stated that the government recognises their efforts during this crisis and mentioned that Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao passed orders to pay complete salaries to the employees of GHMC, DRF (Disaster Response Force), and entomology wings along with special incentives.
He instructed the entomology wing to ensure spraying is done properly to reduce mosquito menace in the forthcoming rainy season.
Others who participated in the event included Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud, GHMC Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, Chennur MLA Balka Suman, principal secretary Arvind Kumar.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the state recorded one death and 15 new COVID-19 cases. Out of the 15 cases, 10 of them were from Hyderabad. With this, the total number of cases reached 943. With a total of 24 deaths and 194 people discharged, Telangana presently has 725 active cases.
In another development, the District Medical and Health Officer of Suryapet district, Dr Niranjan was replaced with Dr Sambasiva Rao on Wednesday, for failing to contain the disease in the district, which is witnessing an increase in COVID-19 cases after Hyderabad. On Tuesday, Suryapet recorded more cases than Hyderabad. While Suryapet recorded 26 cases, Hyderabad had 19.
Dr Nirajan allegedly failed to conduct a door-to-door survey in the COVID-19 hotspots, which led to spread of the disease.