Axe poised on QQSUDA

hyderabad: after years of sideliningit, the state government is reportedly preparing to wind up the quli qutub shahurban development authority (qqsuda). according to sources in the municipaladministration and urban development (ma&ud) ministry, the axing was brewingfor two years. but it could not be implemented as the government feared protestsfrom the opposition parties, particularly the majlis-e-ittehadul muslimeen(mim). non-allocation of sufficient funds, denial of new projects, allotment ofworks in the old city to other agencies since 1999, were some of the steps takento tighten the noose. even the hyderabad district collector was reportedly askednot to release funds for works undertaken by the authority. these steps, takenin a systematic manner, were apparently meant to push the authority closer tothe verge and leave it so short of funds that it would succumb on its own. thiswould ensure that no blame would be attached to the government. in fact, sourcessaid there was a plan to declare the qqsuda a non-performing agency beforeofficially winding it up. later, the government wanted to rehabilitate theauthority’s employees by absorbing them either in the municipalcorporation of hyderabad (mch) or the hyderabad urban development authority(huda). but pressure from mim for grant of works to the authority, even if onlysmall ones like road-widening, forced the government to put these plans on theback burner, the sources said. to avert the criticism from the oppositionparties, the government planned to create a separate old city (south) wing inthe huda before winding up the qqsuda. but the same plan is said to be onceagain under active consideration and the government is expected to initiate theprocess soon. “why should we have two bodies related to urban developmentfor one city? there is no harm if a weak organisation is closed whilestrengthening the other one,� a top functionary in the ma&ud ministrysaid.