Several leaders of the Telangana Congress were taken into preventive custody on Friday, July 28, as they protested outside the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) head office in the city. The Congress leaders were demanding a compensation of Rs 10,000 for flood victims in Hyderabad, in light of the heavy rains and floods that have affected the city.
The protesters, representing Telangana Mahila Congress, National Students Union of India (NSUI), and other Congress-affiliated groups, were detained at Nampally police station, Saifabad police station, and several other police stations in the city. The demonstration involved over 2,000 protesters marching from Gun Park to the GHMC office to submit their demand.
Amidst slogans targeting Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) and Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao (KTR), senior Congress leader Anjan Kumar Yadav called for KTR's resignation, citing improper management of the city.
“We have witnessed Hyderabad flooding, roads perishing, blue collar workers suffering for over the last three years and yet BRS has turned a blind eye. In areas like Saroornagar, slums are eroding. Our roads and manholes need to be overhauled,” senior official spokesperson for Telangana Congress Kalva Sujatha told TNM.
Senior Congress leaders Mallu Ravi, Rohin Reddy, and Kiran Kumar Chamala met with GHMC Commissioner D Ronald Rose to submit their representation, expressing their concerns about the ongoing issues in the city.
“The BRS has set aside a significant budget for nala connectivity but until contractors who have been working get paid, the work will not be completed. Just budgeting money for such contracts won’t suffice if it is being used improperly,” said TPCC vice president Kiran Kumar Chamala. He also said that the BRS party was interested in allotting compensation money prior to GHMC elections but isn’t doing anything currently.