City not quite COP-ready

[1]

With barely 18 days to go for the inauguration of COP-11 in the city, the state capital does not look ready for the big event. Works taken up in connection with the global biodiversity conference are far from over. The footpaths are not ready, nor has work on the storm-water drains, being constructed to av-oid water stagnation on the COP-11 routes, been completed. Recarpeting of roads in city and around the HICC venue remains unfinished. Same is the case with cycling tracks and greenery in the medians.

The entire 125-km accumulated length of COP-11 routes is yet to look spruced up as footpath rubble is lying on either side of the road and the ground where the COP-11 pylon will come up hasn’t been levelled. The Rs 300-crore fund from the Centre came later than expected. Chief Minister N. Kir-an Kumar Reddy toured the COP-11 routes on Wednesday, with officials assuring him of completion of as many projects as possible before COP-11 starts on October 1.

The CM asked the officials to remove the cables not only from the central medians, but also those that are tied to the poles on either side of the roads over footpaths on COP-11 routes. He wanted the officials to paint the traffic signals and speed up all the COP-11 works. While inspecting the works at Kothaguda, Serilingampally, where a pylon and museum are proposed to come up, the CM said he had taken up the matter with Union minister Sharad Pawar to release funds for setting up of a fresh water aquarium of international standards near the upcoming biodiversity museum and park.

Officials informed the CM that the pylon is being constructed at a cost of Rs 2.7 crore and another Rs 5 crore would be spent on developing the area around it. A biodiversity museum at a cost of Rs 100 crore is also being developed on 15 acres of land.

COP traffic drill held at Cyberabad
Getting ready to meet challenges of traffic management in the city during the 19-day global biodiversity conference, the Cyberabad traffic police on Wednes-day conducted a full-scale drill on the main routes that would cater to traffic to and from the conference venue from October 1. Senior traffic police officials said more such drills would take place in the run-up to the event to put the details in place, as more than 200 buses ferrying the delegates would approach the venue from more than 100 hotels across the city every day.

According to assistant commissioner of police (Kukatpally-traffic) D. Nagaraju, 57 buses took part in Wednesday’s five-hour drill from 7.30 am to 10.30 am and 6 pm to 8 pm, within Cyberabad limits. “The buses approached the venue from 19 different routes. We ensured commuters faced no inconvenience,” Mr Nagaraju said. Around 120 traffic personnel were additionally deployed for the rehearsal, he said.