Kamareddy, February 16: Congress assumed control of the Kamareddy Municipality on Monday, with Uma Rani elected as Municipal Chairperson with the support of 22 Congress councillors and 11 BRS councillors. The Vice-Chairperson post went to the BRS. Government Advisor Mohammed Shabbir Ali announced this at a press conference held at his residence in the district headquarters.
Calling for united efforts, Shabbir Ali said political differences end with elections and urged all parties to work together for the town’s development. He appealed to councillors to build a corruption-free municipality through collective responsibility.
He asserted that there would be no compromise on Kamareddy’s development. Referring to the Rs 1,000 crore sanctioned for Nizamabad Smart City, he said he had requested Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to allocate Rs 500 crore for Kamareddy. The Chief Minister responded positively and assured Rs 300 crore as special funds, he said. Development works worth Rs 200 crore are already in progress in the town.
Addressing civic issues, Shabbir Ali said the long-standing drinking water problem would be permanently resolved by the end of March. Internal pipeline works spanning 80 kilometres are progressing rapidly, he said. Underground drainage works will be taken up shortly, and the foundation stone for an underground sub-station will be laid next month by the Deputy Chief Minister.
He also stated that road widening works would be undertaken only after providing proper rehabilitation to street vendors.
Launching a scathing attack on local BJP MLA Venkata Ramana Reddy, Shabbir Ali described him as a “corruption king” and termed it ironic that he frequently speaks about corruption. He alleged that land collected from farmers for a government degree college was handed over to Aurora College during the MLA’s tenure. He further claimed that the institution had raised loans of Rs 18 crore on that land, questioning whether this did not amount to corruption.
Shabbir Ali said his 45-year political career was an open book and that not even a minor case had been registered against him. He alleged that he had given the MLA his political entry by issuing an MLC B-form in the past, but claimed that the MLA later “sold the ticket and ran away”.
Issuing a warning, he said, “If you spit at the sky, it falls on your own face,” cautioning the MLA against making repeated allegations.
He also cautioned the newly elected councillors to work transparently and in a manner that earns public appreciation, stating that strict action would be taken against anyone found involved in corruption. (eom)