HYDERABAD, March 12: District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil has said concentration of population in certain areas of the city has damaged the infrastructure and placed people in miserable conditions.

He was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a 1.5 MGD water supply scheme for the Kohisar extension housing scheme in Latifabad on Saturday.

Referring to wrong planning of housing schemes in which some people had followed the policy of vertical development, the nazim said the district government had prepared an extensive plan for the city.

He said the infrastructure would be replaced, low-cost housing schemes would be taken up and all basic facilities would be provided in the city and its adjoining areas.

He said another city extension plan to ensure horizontal development and, thus, reduce population pressure, help poor people and make development schemes of the city sustainable was also under consideration.

In the first phase, he said, about 5,000 acres of land had been identified in Kohisar, Latifabad taluka, and a survey of government land in other areas of the city was in progress.

Mr Jamil said he had directed managements of the Hyderabad Development Authority and other departments concerned to complete the survey and town planning within shortest possible time so that the plan could be implemented in the current tenure of the local government.

He said that keeping in view the shortage of 30,000 residential units in Hyderabad, the district government had decided to revive the abandoned Kohisar extension residential scheme spread over 200 acres of land.

The scheme had been prepared by the HDA in 1992 but soon after it had been cancelled by the then chief minister.

The nazim said the district government had also restored allotments of 7571 plots of 80 square yards for Rs20,000 each. He said the local government would bear external development charges.

He said the Kohisar project’s water supply scheme would cost Rs28 million.