Congress Slams KTR For Rain-Related Deaths In Hyderabad

Senior Congress leader and former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Wednesday accused the State government, and Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao in particular, of negligence leading to the loss of three innocent lives in Hyderabad in rain-related incidents in the past four days.

He asserted that the government's failure to address critical infrastructure issues, such as open drains and electrical safety, had resulted in these preventable tragedies.

"The first incident took place on April 29 when Mounika, a 10-year-old girl, fell into an open drain in Secunderabad due to alleged civic authority negligence. She could not be saved despite the Disaster Response Force's efforts. While two GHMC officials were suspended, no senior officials faced any consequences," he said.

"The very next day, April 30, a 44-year-old Greyhounds constable Solem Veeraswamy died of electrocution at the Jubilee Hills checkpost. The tragedy occurred when Veeraswamy lost control of his motorcycle near a rainwater-filled puddle, which may have concealed a faulty electrical leakage from a nearby pole. This death too could have been prevented had proper safety measures been in place," he said.

"The third incident saw six-year-old Vivek drown after falling into an open pit filled with rainwater in the Jubilee Hills area. GHMC has denied responsibility for this incident, claiming the site was on private property and not under its jurisdiction. However, the government still has a duty to protect its citizens from such hazards," he added.

Shabbir Ali also criticized KTR for not visiting the victims' families or the sites of these incidents, choosing instead to focus on inaugurating the new Secretariat.

The former minister wrote an open letter to KTR demanding that the minister take responsibility for these incidents and hold the concerned officials accountable.

He also demanded that the minister conduct a review meeting to address the infrastructure problems and prevent future tragedies.