Poll race: Congress promises 30,000 litres free drinking water in Hyderabad

A day after TRS announced 20,000 litres of free drinking water per month to city households if voted to power in the civic polls, Telangana Congress on Tuesday promised 30,000 litres free in its manifesto for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections.

The Congress also promised to give Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to the kin of those who lost their lives in the recent heavy rains, besides Rs five lakh to every damaged house and Rs 2.5 lakh to partially damaged ones.

Similarly, every flood-affected family would be given Rs 50,000, the party said in its manifesto, released by Manickam Tagore, AICC incharge of Telangana. Polls for GHMC will be held on December 1 and counting of votes will be taken up on December 4.

Pure Drinking will be provided free of cost by setting up RO (Reverse Osmosis) water vending machines in slums and double bedroom housing complexes. The party promised to bring Covid-19 treatment under 'Aarogyasri', a government health insurance scheme and free local transportation for women, students, divyangans (differently-abled) and senior citizens in Metro rail, MMTS (Multi Modal Transport System) and RTC Buses.

It also promised complete waiver of property tax and electricity bills to shops belonging to barbers, washermen, carpenters and goldsmiths and added that permission would be given free of cost by GHMC for these communities. TPCC President Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was also present at the function, told reporters that nobody in Telangana believes that TRS and AIMIM do not have any understanding.

"When AIMIM is going all out to Bihar, UP, Maharashtra and Karnataka and contesting elections, why can't it contest in all 150 seats of GHMC?. Why is it contesting lesser seats than it did during the last GHMC polls? People should understand the inner meaning of it," he said.

AICC spokesperson Shavan Dasoju said GHMC generates around Rs one lakh crore per annum and the KCR government in return "offers peanuts to the city." Shortly before the manifesto was released, Reddy alleged that the K Chandrashekhar Rao-led TRS Government failed to fulfil earlier poll promises.

"KCR says his manifestos are religious scriptures. (But) There are utter lies in the manifestos...TRS party and yesterday's manifesto should be dumped in the junkyard," Reddy said.