By April this year, over 1.79 lakh citizens availed themselves of the self-assessment option for property tax, which was implemented in 2019 across municipal bodies in Telangana while another 2.88 lakh individuals received immediate assessment at the time of registration itself by February 2022.
According to senior officials, the implementation of ‘auto-mutation’ for properties introduced in 2021 facilitated the instant auto-mutation process for a total of 560,471 properties by April 2023. The instant assessment for property tax during the building permission process through TS-bPASS (Telangana State Building Permission Approval and Self Certification Process) resulted in over 1.20 lakh approvals.
The process of instant registration and issuance of birth and death certificates, which commenced in 2022, resulted in approximately 1.12 lakh birth certificates being issued. This achievement was made possible through the adoption of the new Telangana Municipalities Act, 2019, (for both municipalities and municipal corporations) which facilitated the integration of e-governance systems for citizen services. This modernised approach enables citizens to access municipal services anytime and anywhere, promoting efficient, prompt, accountable, and transparent administration.
The number of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) was increased from 68 to 142, including the municipal corporations from six to 13. Under the TS-bPASS for speedy processing of building and layout applications, about 2.08 lakh plans were approved till date.
The Municipal Administration & Urban Development department has also been laying emphasis on cleanliness and sanitation in the urban regions with the number of sanitation workers increased from 14,249 to 22,533 in the 141 ULBs.
The wages of sanitation workers have been hiked from ₹6,700 to ₹16,600 per month while the number of sanitation vehicles increased from 2,548 to 4,713. Similarly, the number of compost units has gone from 54 to 229 and public toilets from 6,535 to 14,468 with 54 exclusive ‘SHE’ toilets, while dry resource collection centres rose 24 to 206
The government has also decided to establish 151 integrated vegetable and non-veg markets in all the ULBs at an estimated cost of ₹860 crore. About 26 ULBs got Faecal Sewage Treatment Plants (FSTPs) while in others, works are in under way.
The number of modern cremation grounds or ‘Vaikuntadhamams’ now stand at 335 (of the sanctioned 490) at an estimated cost of ₹375 crore. About 176 vehicles for these facilities are being procured. Senior officials also stated that power-saving has been to the tune of ₹570 crore after installing more than 9.11 lakh LED streetlights while 153 of the 186 sanctioned Basti Dawakhanas (community clinics) are up and running.
Self help groups
Since the formation of Telangana, development initiatives have been centered on the urban poor. During 2014-2022, a sum of ₹14,453.48 crore was allocated for bank linkage, benefiting 1.33 lakh women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) comprising a total of 13.86 lakh members. This financial support has played a crucial role in empowering and uplifting the urban poor, ensuring their active participation in the state’s developmental endeavors.
Earlier, from 2004-14, about ₹2,693.78 crore bank linkage was provided for 1,71,968 SHGs formed with 17,41,218 women.
An exclusive mobile app ‘Pattana Pragathi – Survey of Street Vendors’ was developed where 5.40 lakh new street vendors were identified in addition to the existing 83,666. Overall, loans worth ₹700.61 crore were provided to 3.57 lakh street vendors in three tranches after State formation. About 2,676 street vending sheds were sanctioned of which 1,294 were constructed and works on 1,382 are in progress.
Greenery
Greenery was another area of priority for the municipal areas with avenue and median plantation carried out on an extent of 20,986 km and 1,612 nurseries established. More than 2,000 trees were planted and 3,224 tree parks were developed, added senior officials.
The changing face of the urban landscape due to several works taken up under Pattana Pragathi and reforms has gained nationwide recognition. Telangana has been adjudged the second-best performing State with regard to taking care of sanitation workers’ welfare, and has also won 38 awards for sanitation in 2021-22 for various ULBs. What’s more, it ranked first in the country for providing loans to street vendors.
